Hunting Wes
by Terra1298
Summary: After defeating Cipher, everyone thought that all the action and drama was over, but they were dead wrong. Now everyone is hunting Wes, but he won't tell his friends why. Why are they after Wes? What do they want with him?who is he? not WesxRui
1. Prologue: The beginning of the end

Prologue:

Three Months Ago

"Yay! You did it Wes! You've taken down Cipher!" cried Rui. Wes just nodded and began walking quickly away just as the police force arrived to arrest the two Cipher conspirators. "Hey! Wait up! Where're you going?"

Wes paused for a second before turning around to answer. "I'm not good in crowds. I'd rather not get swarmed by the reporters." Wes pointed out the mob of TV crews trying to break through the police barrier to get to Wes, the Orre region's hero as of five minutes ago. What he didn't tell her, is that he does not trust crowds, for it blocks, or overrides, his ability to read ki.

Wes is smart and his instincts are keen and have been the reason for his survival. Wes found the secret elevator that was the quick escape meant for "worst-case scenarios" in the case that Cipher was defeated and the conspirators needed to get far away quickly. "Come on. They won't be held back too much longer." Rui nodded and followed quickly into the elevator. The mob broke through just as it began to move toward the bottom, the main level of the Realgam Tower.

At the bottom, they ran to Wes' bike and rode it out as quickly as possible to the one place they wouldn't get swarmed by crowds: Agate Village. It was a long ride there, so they didn't arrive until well into the night. Most of the residents were deep asleep in their homes, so they walked quietly through town to the Pokemon Center. From there, they walked down the hill into the cave into a clearing that held the Relic Stone. The place they had visited many times over to Purify all the Shadow Pokemon they had Snagged.

"Why are we here, Wes?" asked Rui.

"To release the legendaries."

"But, why?"

"Because they have their own lives and duties in the world."

"I understand. Plusle and I are gonna go see grandpa and grandma. Come over when you're done, OK?"

"Fine," Wes agreed. Rui walked away with the Plusle that Duking had given to them. Wes turned back to the Relic Stone and released the three legendary dogs and Ho-oh. "You are free. Go back home and live your life where you are supposed to. I'm sorry for holding you back for so long."

"But Wes!" complained Suicune.

"We wish to remain with you. You are our life now," argued Entei.

"I agree. We could not bear to live without you!" Begged Raikou.

"You have your duties, do you not? I can not hold you back from them," replied Wes.

"It is true, we have our duties, however, we feel that one of those duties is to remain with you, master," said Ho-oh. The other three legendaries nodded in agreement and seemed to be trying to think of excuses of why they should stay with him. "You do like having us around, don't you?"

"Yes, of course. How could I not? However, I can not allow my wants to interfere with the needs of others. We mustn't be selfish. We have to do what we are meant to do. We all have our duties and responsibilities in life. They come first."

"Then, let me propose this. How about we, for now, go back and take care of our duties, and when we are no longer needed for the time being, we will find you and we will stay with you…" proposed Raikou. "And when we are needed again, we can go back and quickly take care of that problem, OK?"

"Yes! Yes! That'll work. Let's do that!" cried Suicune. "Not even you can deny that being a good idea!"

"Come on Wes! At least let us do that," begged Entei. "Please?"

Wes thought for a moment. "Are you sure this is OK?"

"Yes!" they all yelled together.

"And anyways…" began Raikou.

"What if you were in danger? What if they came back?" asked Entei.

"Yeah! You would need us," said Suicune.

"I have my other Pokemon to help with that."  
"Wes, not even they could last forever. Especially against 'them'," Raikou said.

"Its true," agreed Umbreon.

"Not all of us are immortal, nor invincible," continued Espeon.

"… Fine. But make sure you have nothing else left." Even though he did not show it, Wes was actually really happy that he had such good friends.

"You have a kind and caring heart, Wes," Suicune told him. "It is very strong, unlike most of those other cruel and heartless humans out there. Like the ones after you."

"Thank you, Suicune," Wes thanked.

"It's the truth! You also seem to try to hide it…" Suicune trailed off. "And that's only one of the many reasons why we like you so much!"

"OK. Now get on, you guys. I'm looking forward to you coming back." The three legendaries nodded their good-byes and pounced off to complete their duties, leaving Wes wondering if what he had allowed was right.

"Don't worry," comforted Espeon.

"You chose correctly," Umbreon said. "They wanted this as well."

Wes nodded. "Okay. Come on, let's go meet up with Rui. She's probably worried by now." Wes began walking to Eagun's, his two oldest friends pouncing behind him, glad that he had such great friends who just wanted to help him._ Thank you. But I fear that the danger has only just begun. Many will want revenge and some have noticed my abilities and skills. They will want to use me for their own purposes and goals. It is only a matter of time before they come for me. I must use caution. I should go into hiding after this. At least for a little while. Hopefully things will cool down…_ But he was very wrong. People did notice and want to make use of him and others want revenge, but things wouldn't cool down. Not for a long time, and he knew it. All too well, and so he went into hiding, mainly at The Under and Pyrite, but stayed in other regions for short periods of time.


	2. chapter 1: The start of a new adventure

Chapter 1: The start of a new adventure

It's been three months since Wes released the legendary trio and went into hiding. Rui sighed out of boredom. She had enjoyed her adventure with her gallant prince who saved and protected her. Wes never told her of his abilities, but she began suspecting them as she learned not everything he did was out of pure and solid skill and luck. She knew there was something else about him that would cause others to hunt him down and try to control him to do their bidding. But she didn't care too greatly. She loved him and was never afraid to show her affection, no matter how uncomfortable she knew he felt, or didn't know, she couldn't help it. She just hoped that he would visit her in Agate Village. She made him promise to visit her every now and then, but he only came once, and that was only for a few hours. She wished he would come and take her away on another adventure every day. She just wanted to be near him. He should be coming to visit again soon. She knew it.

"Oh! Welcome back. She's been waiting anxiously for you to come visit!" exclaimed Beluh. Rui's heart skipped a beat as she heard her grandmother say this. Her grandma was downstairs greeting a guest, and she heard her say this. Rui ran down the stairs to see the guest.

"Wes!" she screeched. She ran up and hugged him, hanging on him. He stiffened and waited for her to release her grip. "You need to visit more often. I was so worried!"

"You needn't worry about me," she said. "I'm fine."

"How… How long are you staying?" Rui asked.

"Not long, I think…"

"Oh…" She was disappointed.

"However, I thought you might like to join me for a few days."

"Really? I would love to! It'll be like our first journey together all over again! Let me grab some stuff, first." She ran upstairs to grab her bag and stuffed it with some supplies. When she came back down, she found Wes, Eagun, and Beluh drinking tea. Wes' was barely touched, though. Typical of him. They were watching a news report about two girls and two boys from different regions that are friends and coming to visit Orre. Of course, Rui was not listening. It spoke of May, at twelve, who was the best coordinator anywhere and was from Hoenn. Then there was her best friend, Brendan, also twelve and from Hoenn, who was the Champion of the Hoenn League. Then Dawn, age twelve, who is both the Champion and top coordinator in the Sinnoh League. Lastly was Barry, Dawn's best friend who always tried to beat Dawn at everything, however failed via Pokemon, who was also twelve and from Sinnoh. They were reported to be going on vacation in Orre, a region they had never been to, most probably. "What was that all about? It sounds so insignificant."

"Yes, but that's the perfect cover."

"Hunh? What do you mea-…? Oh. I get it now. That's why you came to visit today! So when do we leave?"

"Right now, if you'd like. Oh, but first. I want you to have this," he said giving her a PDA. "Everyone's numbers are in there."

"Oh, thank you so much Wes!" She refrained from hugging him, and just followed him back o the entrance where his bike and two friends, the two eeveelutions, waited. The bike was bigger now, so that it could seat three people in the passenger's seat.

Wes hopped on adding, "Hope you don't mid sharing the seat. They missed their spots on our journey, so I fixed it up so you could all fit."

No, not at all. I like this better," Rui said as she sat in the seat with Umbreon, who was perched on the front waiting for the wind in his face, and Espeon leaning out the side, waiting for the same thing. We began driving in a direction away from Agate. She didn't care where they were going, all that mattered was that they she was with Wes again. She always was entertained when he was around. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the breeze.

Rui looked so happy and relaxed. It made Wes content to see his best friend safe. But his attention was drawn back to the exhilaration of driving his bike. A smirk crept across his face. He knew he should tell Rui the truth, but he didn't know how to say it. He decided to wait to tell her. It would strike her pretty hard, though, so he continued driving.

"Hey, Wes?" Rui asked. He looked over questioningly. "Where are we going?"

"To Phenac City. I thought it felt right."

"OK!" She sounded excited. I would take about four hours to get there, so she fell asleep to pass the time. At first, Wes was surprised, then he shrugged it off, thinking she didn't get as exhilarated as he and his faithful companions did.

The remainder of the ride was uneventful and peaceful as they made their way to Phenac. Having left very early, they arrived at Phenac by noon. Rui had awoken a half- hour previous to arriving. Upon arriving, they noticed crowds of people waiting at the front entrance like ravenous dogs ready to pounce.

"You don't suppose they're waiting for you, do you?" asked Rui.

"No, I do not believe so. However, I won't take any chance of being seen by them. It will cause a riot," he sighed. "We will enter another way."

After checking at all three entrances, Rui gave up hope of getting into the city until Wes said, "I know of another way in, if you're up to it."

Rui beamed, "Always!"


	3. Chapter 2: New Friends

Chapter 2: New Friends

Wes led Rui around to an area of the wall enclosing Phenac City. It looked no different than any other portion of the wall, however Wes knew it as his secret entrance. He started dragging his hand along the wall, eyes closed, searching until he found what he was looking for. He pushed the wall; a stone moved inward then clicked back out after ten seconds. In these ten seconds, however, Wes had grabbed Rui and jumped into a hole in the ground that appeared after the stone was pushed. Wes was in within two seconds, and had noticed at the last second the small group of four people who followed them just in time to slip through the hole after him.

Wes had landed on his feet gracefully, while Rui fell ungracefully right into Wes' arms. They had dropped a good ten feet or so into the ground. Wes put Rui down almost immediately after catching her; he only caught her because she would've hurt herself otherwise. The room was pitch black. Wes knew the place by heart, however, and didn't need a light, but Rui would fall in one of his booby traps that he set for intruders who might have come across his entrances by mistake.

"Yanma, use Flash," Wes said as he released a poke ball. Yanma came out, and the hyper Pokemon let out a flash of light allowing them to see. Wes helped Rui to her feet and she looked around surprised.

"Wow! Look at this place!" Rui exclaimed. "Is there anything dangerous here?"

"Well, there are traps. I set them up to catch any intruders who somehow found this place, or _followed me,"_ he said emphasized the 'followed me' while looking up at the hole.

"Hunh? Is there something up there, Wes?"

"Yes. Four little stalkers up there, caught in the first trap, a simple net," he explained. "All traps release intruders within 24 hours back to the surface, if they aren't dead already, since I don't commonly use this way; only for emergencies."

"Well, it looks like we're busted," a voice said from above. "Can you get us down from here, please?"

"Heh. Only because I'm in a good mood today," Wes replied, walking over to a wall and pressing a lump which happened to be the manual release. Four people fell on down in front of Rui and Wes.

"Ow," they said. "Thanks."

"Heh. You should know better than to follow at the last second. That's when the trap activates, after five seconds. I set it that way, since I'm always quick enough to make it in the first three seconds."

"Wow, Wes. You counted correctly. And I didn't even hear a single one. Wes' eyes, just for a split second, widened in fear. He had shown a fraction of what is meant to be hidden. He shook the thought from his mind and turned towards the four stalkers who were just getting up.

"Now, first tell me who you are and why you followed us," Wes asked.

"Ummm…" a boy with yellow hair started. There were two girls and two boys. They were very hesitant to answer.

"And don't lie," Wes growled, golden eyes flashing.

"Oh, he's scary," whispered the brunette girl.

"Scary am I?" The group flinched and nodded slightly.

"I, umm… We-we, umm… We are-"the blond boy started again, but was cut off.

"I told you not to lie, did I not?" Wes' eyes eased and shut. He put a hand hovering on his face, like he was amused. "I already know who you are."

"You do?" the four and Rui exclaimed.

Wes sighed and pointed at the brunette. "May, top coordinator, Hoenn region." The boy with white hair. "Brendan, League Champion, Hoenn region." The black hair girl. "Dawn, League Champion and top coordinator, Sinnoh region." the blond boy. "Barry, Dawn's friend, Sinnoh region… Unknown accomplishments." They all looked shocked, especially Barry, who didn't like his description.

"Oh yeah? Think you're so cool? They I'll show you I can outsmart your traps!" Barry yelled and ran off.

"Wait! There's a-" Wes tried to warn, but alas was too late, "pitfall there."

"Get me out of here!" Wes let down a wooden roll-up ladder. "Never mind," Barry sulked. "How did you know about us, anyways?"

"I am not one for gossip, but under the circumstances, I must, and it's all over the news," Wes began. "Anyways, I remember you four from a while back."

"We're very sorry for following you," Dawn apologized.

"Yeah. We were just-" Brendan started.

"I understand all too well," Wes said. "Come. Watch your step and follow me. And don't look so surprised Rui. That's what we were watching when you came down. Yanma. Give them some more light."

'Yes sir!' Yanma replied, but only Wes understood. Wes smiled at his next comment. 'But I better get coffee later!'

'Of course, Yanma,' Wes told him. 'Of course.'

After walking for a while, Wes heard a complaint and didn't like it. "If you don't like this way, then go back through one of the other entrances! You'll get a nice, warm welcoming committee." Wes snapped at Barry, the complainer.

"I apologize for him. He has a very kind heart and is actually really nice. He saved me from some kidnappers once, which is how we met, but he's just on edge and worried," Rui apologized to the four, a smile on her face.

"That's a story I'd like to hear," May said enthusiastically._ But we already know how nice he is. You're not the only one he saved._

"Yeah, right. That guy has a heart of stone," Barry mumbled doubtfully, of course he didn't really mean it. Not completely. "He looks so scrawny. I bet I could take him, older than me or not."

"I bet he has a good reason for acting this way. And anyways, we've barely known him for all that long! Rui has known him longer. How long have you known him, exactly?"

"Umm… I don't know. Maybe four months. Although this is only the second time I've seen him in the past three months," she replied.

"Oh, wow. Not too long. Why haven't you seen him that much? And how much were you with him for the first month?" Dawn asked.

"Well, we were with each other every day, on a journey. You could probably find someone to tell you about it… Or at least tell you the gist. Oh, I know! You should ask Justy, the Pre-Gym leader at the center of town. Just say that Wes and Rui sent you to ask about our journey, okay? As for why I haven't seen him for so long," she looked at Wes, who just shook his head. "Well, I guess you'll have to ask him, but I doubt he'll tell you. I don't even really know much. Ow, why'd you stop? Was it something I said?" Wes shook his head again as Rui removed herself from his back.

"No. Stay here a moment, and don't follow me until I say so. Yanma, stay here. I'll be right back. This part is trickier." Wes said. In front of them was a huge gap in the ground with small 6" by 6" squares scattered across, several feet apart, along the gap. They looked very unstable. Wes readied himself to jump far and quickly.

Don't tell me you plan to jump across that thing! What's at the bottom, and how deep?" asked Rui.

"About thirty feet deep. Sharp stakes that will kill you either due to force of gravity, or the poison on the tips," he answered as simply as if talking about how beautiful the weather was. Rui gasped in disbelief along with the other four. And so he jumped onto the small platforms, each six feet apart and crumbling due to weight, even though many had often called him small and overly light-weight. The feat had seemed impossible to most, but he kept going, not a worry in his mind, disappearing into the darkness, alone.

"Wow. Didn't think that was possible. How does he do that, and how can he see? There's no light at all," Brendan wondered aloud.

"He's always been a lone wolf, and he's good in the dark," Rui answered. "That's one of the reasons why we took this route. He doesn't like crowds."

A click sounded and a machine roared to life down below them. The gap formed a bridge across to the other side. Yanma lit the way and everyone followed. After they crossed, they found Wes messing with a small contraption in the wall. When he was done, the bridge partially crumbled and moved left over pieces around so that stepping on the squares was the only path across, once again. Wes got up and walked down the tunnel to a dead end.

"Where's the exit?" asked May.

"Right here," said Wes. He jumped up at an impossible height and jumped wall to wall until he hit the top. He waited a moment and decided they needed help up and released the ladder down, the opening a door behind him. The other five climbed and exited and he followed through the door.

The door was in the wall and led into an alley. While Wes was closing and locking the door, making it inconspicuous, Rui and the four foreigners were talking. Wes only caught the last part, though said by Rui, "Yeah. I'd love that, but you'd have to ask Wes, though. He's kinda in charge."

"Ask me what?" Wes asked as he was walking back towards them.

"Oh, Wes! Umm… We were wondering-" Rui said.

"If we could, by chance, join you for a while. You seem to know what you're doing and also know how to remain inconspicuous, stay out of sight… And other things we heard from Rui," begged Dawn. She was desperate. "Please. We just want a relaxing vacation. You could help us. Just for the week that we're here for. We won't bring you trouble."

"Please, Wes. We're trying to do the same thing, anyways," persisted Rui. At that, the foreigners looked confused. They wondered if Wes and Rui were famous as well. They would have to ask someone about their story.

"…" Wes was at a loss. Umbreon and Espeon came out of their poke balls. "You know you're not supposed to come out! Not here, in this city."

'Wes, we believe it wise if you accompany them. They might help you in the upcoming threat. And, who knows, maybe they'll become great friends as well as allies,' stated Espeon.

'I agree. There's something about them that says that they will trust and help you, if you allow them, or maybe even if you don't,' finished Umbreon.

"So you two think so as well," said Wes. He sighed, "Fine. It seems these two wouldn't allow otherwise." Wes recalled them. "Yanma."

'No! You promised coffee! Coffee first!' Yanma screeched. Wes heard this, but all the other five heard were grunts, growls, and screeches.

"Fine. I did promise," Wes concurred.

'Yay!' Yanma went crazy. 'Coffee, Coffee, Coffee!'

"You can tag along. Just try not to attract any attention. Worst city to do that in. these people actually know who you are and that you even exist. But first, I'm going to the café. We'll meet up with you at the Pre-Gym." Wes pointed at the Pre-Gym. "You might want to check it out. We'll be there in fifteen minutes. Come on Rui, Yanma."

"You promised coffee, didn't you?" Rui blamed. Wes nodded regretfully.

Fifteen minutes and the recalling of an overly excited, berserk Yanma later, Wes and Rui arrived at the Pre-Gym. "Wes! Rui! It's been a long time. I was just telling these guys about you and your adventure to destroy Cipher and Purify all the Shadow Pokemon!" Justy exclaimed. "So, what brings you here today? Want some training? A battle? Or are you in a rush as always? Don't worry, that wasn't a challenge." Justy knew Wes never turned down a challenge and didn't want to distract him from his business.

"Actually, we're escorting these four around Orre while they're here," explained Rui.

"Ah. You seem to pick up the special kind, don't you Wes?" Justy asked, winking.

"More than you would know," answered Wes. He walked away. "We're leaving. Catch you later, Justy." Justy waved and Rui and the four followed Wes.

"Hey, Wes? I've been wondering, how are we going to travel between towns? There's not enough room for all of us. Only four, maybe five."

"Well, we can walk, can't we?" asked Barry.

"Only if you have a death wish," answered Wes. "Chance of survival alone in the desert, one in one-hundred thousand, at best."

"Ouch," replied May. "That's harsh."

"Welcome to Orre. The harshest region in the world. In more than one way. Rui, will you give them a tour? I'll catch up with you later at my bike. The crowds should be gone by then."

"OK!" Rui agreed. "Come on. There's a lot to see," Rui led them away, Wes walking towards the Coliseum. Rui was busy with questions about Orre from the group of foreigners. Wes went to pick up some parts to fix his bike. It was old and needed to get fixed. That was his plan for the afternoon. He sighed. _Peace and quiet at last. They're all so loud and obnoxious._


	4. Chapter 3: Old Friends

Chapter 3: Old Friends Return

While Rui was giving a tour, Wes was fixing up his damaged bike. He picked up some parts at a shop near the coliseum. He was happy and at peace, with no humans to annoy him. Yanma was going crazy from coffee, Umbreon and Espeon were helping him out with his bike as best as they could, and Feraligator, Typhlosion, and Meganium were fooling around, playing in the sand with each other. Feraligator decided it was too dry and hot, and used Rainy Day, causing it to pour out in the desert. Wes and his Pokemon got soaked by his attack after gravity took over. Rui and the others showed up right then to find a wet Wes and co.

"Haha! You're soaked, Wes! What happened?" Rui asked. Wes grabbed a towel from his bag in the bike and began to dry himself. He was glad he took off his blue coat and remained only wearing his black pants, black underarmour-like shirt, black gloves, and black boots before starting on his bike.

"Ask him," replied Wes, glaring at Feraligator.

'Hahaha! What have we here? Seems we came at the right time!'

"Yes, we already accompl- wait," Wes started. "Could that be?"

"What? What's wrong?" Rui asked.

"He must hear voices in his head. Or he's dehydrated from the heat. I mean, look at him, he wears pure black and long everything under his coat!" guessed Brendan. Then they heard a roar, but it was a laugh all too familiar to Wes. Wes began laughing as well. "Yeah. Something's definitely wrong with him. Nobody would ever laugh at such a menacing roar. I mean, that must've been a huge Pokemon!"

Ignoring their comments, Wes turned towards the roar. "I didn't think I'd see you guys again so soon! Come on out!" Suicune, Entei, and Raikou came out, pummeling him and pinning him to the ground as he smiled, surprisingly, "OK, OK! I give. I missed you guys so much.

'Same here!' Suicune licked him

'We were going to surprise you, but you looked so ridiculous like that!' laughed Entei.

'I am amazed you didn't sense us coming. You usually aren't so easily distracted from sensing one's presence,' Raikou said amazed.

"Yeah. I was distracted with my bike and the others," Wes said more seriously.

"What, does he understand Pokemon speech?" asked Dawn. "And he's so open with them and them back, I think."

"I don't know. He's always been close to Pokemon, more so than any human, even if they're a new Shadow Pokemon. I told you he has a kind heart."

"OK, so he's kind towards Pokemon. I believe you now," said Barry. "Sort of."

"Hey, Yanma. Can Wes talk to Pokemon?" asked May. Yanma nodded rapidly. "Wow. He's so cool! He has a lot going for him. Except… he looks so weak physically. Barely any muscle, it seems. But that doesn't matter."

"Hmph," Rui didn't want competition, she saw the look on May's face, she was interested in Rui's gallant prince. But she also couldn't let her insult Wes. "He's a lot stronger than he looks! He has other things, too. He faced great dangers, you know, and I was with him for them all! Or at least the ones in the past few months. The entire Cipher-Shadow Pokemon plan."

"Yes, that's true. But, have you ever thought of what he faced before Cipher? Or after when he disappeared? What could have driven him to want to destroy them through brave, yet reckless acts? There is a deep sorrow in his eyes. If you can't see that, then there is much for you to learn," explained Dawn.

"What? But he is _my_ gallant prince-"

"_Your_ gallant prince? First off, he's not yours, nobody ever owned him and nobody will," May argued.

"That is where you are wrong."

"Oh? And where's your proof?" May questioned. Then she noticed who it was who had spoken. "I'm sorry. But, what do you mean?"

"You heard my story from Justy. So you know I worked for Team Snagem as their best snagger."

"Oh. I see where you're going. But just because you worked for him doesn't mean he owned you!"

"Actually, in Orre's case, he did own me," Wes glared at them. They all went quiet. "We are going to Agate now."


	5. Chapter 4: Wes' Curse

Chapter 4: Occurrence in Agate

The trip to Agate Village is usually a very long one, however, at the impossible speeds of the legendaries and Wes' enhanced bike, they made it there in a fraction of the time. Somewhere along the way, Ho-oh joined in, to Wes' delight.

Upon arrival, Wes went ahead into the village, quickly disappearing from sight. He had said to go to Eagun's and that he'd meet up with them later. At first, they all looked to Rui for directions, but then decided it would be better to just follow after Wes and see what he was doing. They were too curious for their own good.

They searched the town for a while, but couldn't seem to find him. Eventually, Rui finally figured out where he went and began walking to the PC. From there, she led the others down a slope into a cave.

"Where are we going?" Brendan asked.

"Relic Stone. That's the only other place Wes could've gone. I'm sure he's there," she answered. Once they near the other end of the cave, they heard singing, beautiful singing that emanated from the Relic Stone area.

_Once again I shall be gone, _

_ With guide by moon and night._

_ None shall know what came to be,_

_ None shall even remember me._

_ Turned to be of one I love,_

_ Hidden like a hand in glove._

_ Gone I will be once more,_

_ None will notice, obeyed by lore._

_ Tested I have been,_

_ Let not be seen._

_ Ruined it shall be,_

_ If seen is me._

_ Disguised I have been by,_

_ Cursed ancient sky._

_ Once more shall I be,_

_ Then I will be free!_

_ Once again I shall be gone, _

_With guide by moon and night. _

_None shall know what came to be,_

_None will even remember me… _

"What was that?" May asked, crying.

"The voice was beautiful. But the song sounded like a curse," Dawn said, also crying.

Barry stared at the exit to the Stone. "Do you think that that was Wes?"

"That might be but it didn't sound like Wes' voice. Rui, do you know?" Brendan asked.

She shook her head. "No. I've never heard him sing before. But I did notice that all the Pokémon of the forest went quiet, as if in a trance, when the singer sang. Even our Pokémon. Look." Just as she had said, the Pokémon were in a trance. "Actually, I think- I think I recognize the melody. Not the words, but the tune itself. Where have I heard it before?"

"You know the melody?" asked Dawn.

"Think. Think of where you heard it!" encouraged Brendan.

Rui gasped. "I remember. And I think… I think that _was_ Wes singing."

"Why do you think that?" asked May. "Where have you heard it before?"

"I think it was him because he was the one I heard it from. It was the song he played. On the Time Flute. To summon Celebi."

"What?" They all yelled.

"Hmm… It makes sense," a voice said.

"Who said that?" Rui demanded.

"I think full well you know who I am."

"Wait. I know that voice!" she exclaimed. "Why are you here?"

"You should know that as well."

"…No! No, I will not allow it!"

"I don't think you have a choice in the matter. But I am surprised. I never imagined him as singing. It was very surprising."

"Who is he, Rui?" asked Brendan.

"The fake Cipher Conspirator, Nascour. He's here to take Wes away, for whatever reason."

"What?" they all yelled. (Again).

"Now then," he motioned to Cipher Peons behind him. They were holding guns. "Let's go back and take a look see, shall we?" They gulped and began walking back. But when they got there, they were all surprised. "Where is he? Where's Wes?"

"I-I don't know. He was here when we left," Barry admitted. "All his Pokémon are gone as well." Nascour walked forward, past everyone else.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are, Wes my _boy_. You don't want your friends getting hurt, now do you?" Golden eyes appeared, glowing, from the trees. "Ah, there you are. Why don't you come out like a _good little boy_… Wait. Those eyes aren't human. They are too large. What is that?" The creature with golden eyes roared. A roar heard from miles and miles away. "That-this is amazing. We must have it. One of the ultimate beings! Rayquaza!"

"What? But it's back in Hoenn. This isn't possible!" exclaimed Brendan. The Rayquaza came out of the trees. It was huge and terrifying. Nobody moved for a moment. The Rayquaza just gave the Ciphers a death glare. It growled, bearing fangs.

"Call for back- up. We will catch him and turn him into a Shadow Pokémon. This is coming somewhat close to as good as catching the _boy._ But if we could get him to cooperate, then this would be nothing. That _boy_ holds the power to-" Nascour never finished the sentence. He was busy trying to dodge the swipe of the Rayquaza's claw. "It seems I have angered him. We will retreat for now. It seems it cannot be caught yet. Another time. Tell Wes we will be back for him. Tell him it will be Cipher, not Team Snagem, or any of those foolish other teams that will get him. It will be us! Everyone is after his-" The Rayquaza struck again, barely missing due to Nascour's quick reflexes. "We will take our leave."

Once gone, Rui and co. remained behind, too frightened of the Rayquaza to move. Suddenly, the Rayquaza howled in pain and grabbed its head with its small hands.

"Oh, no! Is it hurt?" Brendan asked concerned, before running over to help. A bright light appeared around the Rayquaza.

'Stop!' it said. And Brendan stopped. The light engulfed it completely. When it disappeared, Wes was sitting, nearly unconscious, next to the Relic Stone."

"Wes?"

….


	6. author's note

So, hey there everyone. Eheheh. Sorry I haven't updated anything in forever. I didn't know how to continue this story. You see, I had the majority of this story written for a long time, but I didn't like this chapter and deleted it, leaving me with a gap in my story, and I didn't know how to fill it. I tried on multiple occasions and failed, but I'm going to try again right now.

You might be thinking why now, why today? Well, thing is, I actually finished writing my final chapter and epilogue for this story yesterday. I was crying so much. Well, I would have had I not been in school, but anyway it was a really sad thing for me, and I want you all to read it even though there are so few of you. I'm still not sure how I'm going to manage to write this chapter, but I'm going to review my previous chapters to see where I was going with it and try to fluff it up to the next chapter.

It might take me a while and not be one of my better works, but I promise that it'll get better. Well, I hope you think so. I actually wrote most of these chapters between 1-2 years ago. Only the last five or so were written this year. Maybe more, but anyway, yeah. I'll end the author note here so I can get to work on the chapter. Please bear with me a little longer if you're still reading this and I'll be back as soon as I can.

Thanks to all my loyal readers, as well as the not so loyal.

Terra1298~


	7. Chapter 5: 3 ch in 1!

OK, I realize my writing was really kind of bad. It skipped around a lot and I forgot details in the editing between written and typed versions. I also noticed that there wasn't a lot of writing. It literally took me six minutes to read through it all again. Of course that might be because I'm a really fast reader but still. Well, I do remember that as the story progresses my chapters increased in length. All I have to do for those ones is type them up. For this chapter, it might be a bit difficult for me but let's see what I can make of it. Wish me luck!

Recap:

Wes and Rui left to go on another journey together but ran into the Hoenn and Sinnoh protagonists: Brendan, May, Dawn, and Barry sneaking around in the secret underground entrance that Wes somehow built. Although seemingly afraid at first, they began to warm up to him a bit and became friends with Rui. After promising Yanma coffee and leaving the foreigners to get their story from Justy the Pre-Gym Leader, they ask him to be their guide throughout their stay in the Orre region and he somewhat reluctantly agrees. Their first stop ends up being Agate Village, where Wes and Rui just came from. He left them behind and they later found him next to the Relic Stone, but then Nascour appears and tries to kidnap him, but he is not there but instead Rayquaza attacks him when he tries to capture it instead. When Nascour and Cipher leave, the Rayquaza transforms into a now half-conscious Wes, surprising everyone.

* * *

"Wes!"

"What the hell just happened?" exclaimed Barry. "Why did that Rayquaza disappear? And why is Wes over there now? Hey! Someone answer me!" But everyone was busy running over to help him. They tried to help him up but the three legendary dogs appeared and scared them them away. They bared their fangs and growled at the others, hovering over Wes themselves.

"Hey, hey. It's alright, guys. They mean no harm." Wes assured them. The legendaries turned their attention away from the humans and back to Wes. Raikou helped to prop him up against Suicune who in turn laid down next to him, acting as a pillow. "Forgive them. They can be a bit overprotective of me. I... suppose I owe a bit of an explanation don't I?"

"I think that would only be fair! I mean, seriously, you turned into a friggin' Pokemon!" Barry yelled.

"Actually, it's his own business, Barry. He owes us nothing," Dawn interjected. "Not saying that I wouldn't like to know what happened, though."

"I can't completely tell you everything. I don't completely know myself all that is happening. I hope you can understand that and not delve too much into it."

"How can you expect us to just l-"

"Barry!" Dawn held him back and shook her head.

"What about you? You look like hell, no offense," May asked.

"I'm just tired. Sorry, but can you all just leave me be? I'm just going to sleep here with them."

"Then we can stay with you! We can sleep here too," Rui replied, completely ignoring his request.

"Rui, I think he just wants to have some time to himself," Brendan clarified. "We can stay at the Poke Center."

"Thank you. I'm sorry you had to witness this."

Brendan, May, and Dawn left without another word, but Barry stood there staring in disbelief for a moment before running after his friends, afraid to stay any longer with Wes and the legendaries. Rui tried to stay with him, but he turned her away until she agreed to leave. Entei practically had to throw her out for her to get the point. Instead, she just smiled, saying she'd see him in the morning and ran to catch up with the others. Wes tried to smile back and wave but as soon as she was out of sight, his face hardened and he dropped his hand.

He turned to the legendaries and Umbreon and Espeon. They were giving him slightly accusing looks because they knew what he had to do. "Don't look at me like that. You know what has to be done. We all know what has to be done."

"But Wes, they can help. You can tell them the truth and they can help you," Espeon tried to reason with him.

"Yeah! They seem like a nice group of kids. They seem only to want to help," Umbreon continued. "Why don't you let them help out?"

"That's exactly why I can't let them help. They're just kids. They're young and won't handle it well. This is the Orre region; they shouldn't be here in the first place," Wes countered. "This is not for them. This is my journey and my journey alone. And besides, I have you."

"Yes, well, that's a given. But y-"

"Just stop. Nothing you say can change my mind." Wes pushed himself up from the ground, slowly and painfully. "Urgh. Ha, I... guess I'm not yet fully recovered." He tried to walk forward but stumbled. Raikou caught him before he fell and supported him from one side. Suicune took him from the other side and took on his full weight, which wasn't much to begin with but was next to nothing to the legendary dog. "Thank you. Now let's get going."

* * *

There was originally an extra scene in here to build up a bit of a romance. It was a bit of a competition and something of a comic relief, but I emitted that part of the plot. It was completely on accident, too. When I was writing a later part, I had planned to write it one way, but my hand had something else in mind and I went off of that and eventually I noticed that my ideas were gone and replaced by a new plot! I tricked myself into liking a character I hated and put in character relations. It was so weird. Well, anyway, I didn't have the ending part of the previous above scene in but I'm not writing the romance/comedy scene, so it's kind of replacing it. It's still crap and I hate it, but that's how it is for a while. Now we get to skip to morning the next day! This part starts with parts of the next chapter and some differences. It is almost caught up to the next part of the story that is fully written out.

* * *

Brendan, May, and Dawn awoke early in the morning. Barry was snoring away and Rui was comfortable still in her own little dream world. The trio, not wanting to disturb them, left to get breakfast in hopes of it still being served. Few people ever visited Agate Village, so the Poke Center was empty and quiet.

They made sure to keep some extra food for the two sleepyheads, who didn't wake until some time after noon, so they killed time by turning on the TV and watching the news, the only channel in the Orre region. It was rather boring and uninteresting. They almost turned it off until the scene changed to an old abandoned building in an old beat-up ruffian town. A group of kids, some younger than themselves, others about the same age, standing with the news reporter lady.

* * *

"So, we hear that two groups of kids, one from Pyrite Town and the other from the hidden underground town, The Under, have met together through a currently unknown connection and are planning to fix up this old building once ran by Cipher Admin Miror B's group, and turn it into a news station network. We plan o find out just how they met, why they decided to do this, and how they plan on accomplishing this feat," the news reporter lady announced. She walked over to a boy who looked to be about as old as Brendan and asked, "So, your name is Secc and you are the leader of the Pyrite group, correct?"

"Yes," he replied. "I am the oldest of the Kid's Grids, our group, and Marcia is the second. These two," he indicated a young girl and boy, "also help out."

"Okay. And you," she said to another boy, "are Nett and you are the genius that built the Under's communication for kids, correct? And is it also true that Orre's hero, Wes, is the hero of all kids in the Under?"

"Yes and yes. However, we looked up to Wes as our model and hero well before he defeated Cipher or even met us. Oh, and Wes, if you're watching this, please visit us. We haven't seen you in so long," he answered. He then introduced Megg and her Shroomish and the others.

"Okay,: she turned back to the camera. "So now we know the groups and members who will be partaking in this project." She turned back to the kids. "So, if I may ask, how did you guys all meet? What was the connection?"

They all turned toward each other, nodded, turned back to the news crew, smiled and yelled in unison, "Wes, our hero and friend!"

"Oh, is that so?" Seems like our hero had some inside help from kids. Maybe Cipher only put on their mean faces, but were really weak. They got taken down by a teen, a kidnapped girl, and a bunch of kids," she laughed.

"No! You've got it all wrong!" yelled Megg. "Wes would've defeated Cipher on his own, and Cipher may have played dirty, but nobody else could have defeated them. Wes is no ordinary teenager either! He's special and has spe- oops. I said too much."

"Is that so? Well, it seems that once again I am proven wrong by these kids. Well, we will be right back after this commercial break!" The cameras were turned off and the kids walked away out of hearing range.

"I'm sorry. Did I say too much?" asked Megg. Nett nodded. She broke down into tears. "He'll never forgive me. He's gonna hate me!" she cried aloud "I almost told the whole world about his-"

"Shhh! They'll hear you. They won't hesitate to break it to the world if they learn about Wes and... anything more than they need to know. They're looking for a big break and if they learn that Wes wasn't always a good guy, they'll think they hit the jackpot!" Nett chastised her silently as she wiped away her tears.

"Okay, everyone, we go live again in 5... 4... 3..." the camera man announced. Everyone got in place. "2...1." he pointed, indicating they were live again.

"Welcome back everyone! Let's continue where we left off shall we?" the lady said. She turned back to Nett and Secc. "So, why, might I ask, are you going to attempt this big project?"

"Well," started Nett,"we figured it was fun helping Wes and hacking into files he found at any Cipher bases, so we figured we'd create this place to help uncover cases that most people could not. We also hope to begin to repay Wes for all that he has done for us. And for everyone in Orre."

"Yeah," Secc continued. "He has done so much for us, so let's at least help catch all the remaining Ciphers that escaped in news riots at Realgam Tower after Wes defeated Cipher's leaders."

"Are you hinting that, possibly, our hero has disappeared because of Cipher's seeking revenge and a fear of news crews?" she asked, trying to dig deeper.

"Well, part of that is true," answered Marcia. "Cipher would like to catch him for many of his actions and anyway, who wants to be mobbed by news crews? Especially a guy like him, who hates attention."

"Well, if he hates it so much, then why did he openly fight against Cipher?"

"Because he couldn't fight them any other way. Especially since he-... umm..." Marcia was at a loss for words.

"Since he's the one who originally exposed them to the public and they made him their biggest threat and #1 on the wanted list," Megg saved. "Something like that. He never said much about it. Probably didn't know himself."

"You know, we have to go pick up the place and get some stuff we ordered. it's going to be a loooong project, so we better get started," interrupted Nett.

"Well, it seems we have run out of time. Until next time, my loyal viewers!" the lady dismissed the show.

"And that's a wrap!" said the cameraman. The crew left, but not before the news lady gave the kids a suspicious glance that they knew something juicy and were keeping it to protect a dark secret about Wes.

"We need to be more careful next time," warned Secc. "Let's get to work!"

"Yeah!" They all agreed and went to clean out the facility.

* * *

"Wow, so they helped Wes out a lot," said Dawn, amazed. "It seems that Cipher was outsmarted and beaten by two teens and some kids. I was amazed to have heard Wes' story from Justy, but I never imagined the help came from a bunch of kids younger than us!"

"Agreed. It was hard to believe that someone who used to be part of Team Snagem, which worked alongside Cipher, became the hero and defeated them after betraying them," continued May.

"It truly is amazing, isn't it?" said a sleepy Rui. "They were so helpful, those kids. So where did you hear of them?"

"Well, we woke up early and had some time to kill, so we were watching the news and they were on it," answered May. "It seems the public does not know much about Wes other than a his general description: teenage boy, large motorbike, his partners, and you Rui, along with some small other details."

"Yes, that is true. He does not want to be known, but he needed to be to take down Cipher," replied Rui.

"Yeah, but it seems they don't know he was once part of Team Snagem, or anything about his past. Actually, _we_ don't know of that, either. Do you know?" asked Brendan.

"N-no. I never thought to ask him about his past. We never really had the chance to talk about much that didn't include Cipher or the Shadow Pokemon," Rui said ashamed.

"Well, we can ask him when we go to see him now!" exclaimed the already energetic Barry who appeared from seemingly nowhere.

"Alright. Seems everyone is awake. Let's go!" May exclaimed, arms raised. She looked over at Dawn when she hadn't moved to follow everyone else. "Come on, Dawn. Don't fall behind." Dawn just nodded and followed quietly.

* * *

"Gooooooodd moooorrrrrrrrrnniiiinnnnnnnn ngggg, Weeeeeeeeees!" Rui greeted as she skipped towards the Relic Stone the next morning. Looking around, she couldn't find him. She frowned. "Wes? Helloooooo? Hey, where are you, Wes?"

"What's wrong, Rui?" May asked as she followed into the opening. "Huh? Where's Wes?"

"Wes is gone?" Brendan asked as he, too, appeared, followed by Dawn and Barry.

"Yeah. Maybe he just woke up early and went into the village or something," Rui guessed.

"I guess it's possible. We should split up and search. We can just meet up in front of the Poke Center in ten minutes, see if anyone can find him," Brendan suggested.

"Alright. Let's get going then," May said cheerily as she ran towards town excitedly.

"Alright! We can go explore the town! Anyone back late is a rotten egg!" Barry yelled as he quickly disappeared back into the cave.

"Wait, Barry! Oh, he's already gone," Dawn sighed. "He just can't sit still. Everything is a competition. Well, shall we follow?"

Brendan nodded.

"I can get the far side of town since I know this village better, OK?" Rui offered.

"Sounds good," Brendan agreed.

* * *

"Anyone find him?" Rui asked.

"No, but his bike was still parked outside. I can't believe he could leave without it, though," Dawn said. "Maybe we should check by the Relic Stone, see if he left anything behind."

"Yeah, he might return, too," Rui agreed.

"Maybe. I guess we'll find out soon enough," Brendan said skeptically as they headed back into the clearing of the Relic Stone.

"Hey, guys! There's something stuck here in the rock!" Barry announced as he tried to pick at the Relic Stone. "It's paper. Maybe he left a note or something? I can't get it out."

"Here, let me try. I have longer nails," May tried. "Got it!"

"Well, what does it say?"

"Something really out of character for him, I think," May stated blandly. "It says:

'If you are reading this, then you have probably figured out why I left, so I will not explain my reasons. For your own good, I would urge you to not search for me, however I understand that this will not discourage you, so instead I will simply not give any clue as to my whereabouts. I will warn you now, it will not be an easy journey. If they find you, run away as if your life depended on it, because it will. Stay clear of them as best you can. Don't get caught.'

"It's kinda contradictory, isn't it? It seems so weird to write something like that," Barry scratched at his head.

"I think the purpose might have been more of a 'don't wait for me cause I'm not there anymore' kind of message," Brendan told him. "Anyway, we should get going."

"Wait, what? This guy dumps us and we're going to go search for him?" cried Barry. "Where would we even start? How will we even get there?"

"Well, Pyrite seems to be a good choice. There's always the Kid's Grid kids and The Under kids. They could help us out if we explain ourselves. As for getting there, I'm sure I could drive Wes' bike," Brendan answered with a half-smile. "I think."

"You THINK?! We're all going to die, aren't we?" Barry asked. No one answered. "But I'm too young to die..."

* * *

So, yeah. Finally back. I kinda put together the filler area, but it seemed too short, so I went ahead to the next chapter, but I had to change some of it and in the end, it flowed so smoothly into the chapter after that that I just left it like that, so this is more like three chapters in one almost. I spent many hours on this chapter, so you better enjoy it! Now I'm gonna go have some ice cream and maybe play a video game for the first time in forever. Or Maplestory! I just redownloaded it, I can go play that! Now I'm excited. Well, until next time! Ciao~


	8. Chapter 6: Pyrite Town

'Are sure you are okay, Wes?' asked Suicune concerned. 'You are still recovering, even if you heal quickly. 'Don't overexert yourself. You will need the energy for when they come for you again.'

"I know, I know. I'm fine, though. I do not require other such supplies as most humans would," he reassured. "I'm more worried about you guys, and the others."

'I think that it would have been safer had you taken them with you,' said Raikou.

"For who, us or them?"

'Both, I think,' he answered.

"I see. Well, it's too late now. They have probably figured my next stop, unfortunately. Even with a several hour head start, they have my bike and can travel much faster. They will eventually catch up."

'Master! I see Pyrite!' announced Ho- oh. 'Just a little over three hours on foot, walking. You could probably make it in less than a single hour if you run.'

"Okay, thank you, Ho-oh, but I want you all to stay out of sight of the town… And also, please stop calling me Master."

'I cannot stop calling you what you are. You are our Master, but we will make sure to obey other orders. We will remain out of sight, but we will be nearby in case you need us.'

"Fair enough, I suppose."

'Get on my back. It will be faster to ride than let you walk any further in your state,' Entei told him. Wes consented and pulled himself up onto the large legendary dog. He grabbed onto the warm fur that surrounded the body of his friend. He leaned forward so as to not add to air resistance, allowing them to go faster as Entei took off running, the others not too far behind. It felt good to feel the wind on his face without the fumes of his bike or the worry of watching out for obstacles. He felt truly free for the first time in years, it seemed. He got so caught up in the feeling that he hadn't noticed his fatigue vanish or see the town coming up quickly. 'Wes, we are nearing Pyrite and The Under.'

Wes was shocked out of his thoughts and had to pay attention now. He let himself down off of Entei's back and thanked him before walking towards Pyrite. The legendary dogs and Ho-oh disappeared to only they knew where.

Wes tried to walk by as subtly as he could, but he didn't go completely unnoticed. He received glances from suspicious people, but this was nothing new for him, as everyone was like that in Pyrite and The Under. They were thug towns, after all. Beat up and run down, everyone is a thief or a whore. Everything about them screamed suspicious, but to the locals, it was their everyday life.

When he arrived at the abandoned warehouse where the Cipher Admin, Miror B., had once controlled, he was unaware of the happenings going on in the building, since he had not seen the news report. All he knew was that there were people in the building. He felt the Ki of four people. He just thought them as one of the old Cipher peons whom escaped or some lost wanderers, probably drunk or high on something or another.

He slipped by stealthily through the shadows of the building until he reached the elevator. The door was loud and the floor creaky, but the elevator was louder yet, sure to attract the attention of the other occupants of the building. Wes noticed the change of Ki; the others were alerted of his presence. He realized that they were not drunks or thugs at all, but were on their way to check on the occurrences on the ground level. It took some work, but he finally got the elevator to move downwards.

"Wes? Is that you?" a familiar voice emanated from above. Wes flinched, but sighed when he found himself too far gone for the conversation to continue.

_Who'd have thought that they would be here? Unlucky is what I am. I shouldn't have let them see me. They'll send posts to all the entrances to catch me on my way out. I'll have to take the other route… I hate that way._ He continued his descent into The Under. _I'm sorry, but I cannot involve you as well. _  
_

Nett was setting up his computers and other electronics in the "meeting" room where Silva was once held captive. Bitt was out picking up the parts, Secc and Marcia were debating random things, and Megg was organizing the disaster created by debris. In one way or another they were all helping to create ONBS, their news station, one of the only ones to have ever existed in Orre.

Megg was getting a headache from all the yelling and debating and decided to walk outside on the roof. She sighed in relief as she felt the sun's rays hit her face along with the light breeze. Movement caught her eye, however, as a shadow entered the building. She heard the door open, then close. She began walking to the stairs to go down and investigate. _Maybe I should tell someone. What if it's a burglar? What if there are more down there? What if-? What if-? No. I can't rely on others all the time. Be brave, like Wes who risked his life to save suffering Pokémon and people! Prove you aren't completely useless._

She reached the bottom of the stairs and began walking down the hallway when she heard objects being moved about to create a path. She held her hands close to her chest and picked up the pace. More objects were moved and she reached the next floor. She started to sprint.

The others had taken notice of the sound, as she heard them running down the stairs themselves. She finally reached the bottom floor. She heard the elevator activate. It was moving down into the Under! She burst through the door and looked down over the edge to see who was on the elevator.

"Wes? Is that you?" she asked. The figured flinched as it looked up. And sure enough, it was Wes. She fell to her knees and cried. She hadn't seen him in months. She loved Wes, as a brother more because even if he is very young, he was still much too old for her. She cried because she had missed him. He disappeared for a long time and Megg was the last one to see him, since he thought of her as his younger sister. He thought of Nett, Bitt, Secc, and Marcia as younger siblings as well, but none so much as her. He felt more protective of her than any other human he knew. "Why? Why do you leave me, big brother? Are you on another dangerous adventure? Please, tell me…" she whispered.

"Megg! What happened?" asked a very concerned Nett. "Why are you crying? Are you hurt?"

"No. I'm not hurt."

"Then why are you crying?" he noticed the elevator. "Who went down there?"

"Wes. He was on the elevator when I got here. I barely saw him, but I know those eyes anywhere. It was Wes. I know it."

"Do you think he saw us on TV?"

"No. he was surprised to have seen me. He came for something in The Under. He had no idea we were here."

"Hey, what happened?" asked Secc, Marcia close on his heels. Nett explained what had happened. "Oh… Marcia. Go to the abandoned elevator. Nett, stay here. I'll go to the old subway. We'll try to catch him on his way out. Megg, I want you to go to Duking's or you can stay here with Nett. Be back here by nightfall if he doesn't come. Let's move out. We've got a Wes to meet up with.

"Okay!" exclaimed Marcia as she ran off. Nett nodded and sat down next to Megg as she wiped away her tears.

"I'll be off." Secc ran off.

"You okay?" Nett asked Megg.

"Yeah. I'm better now. I-I don't want to stay here, though."

"Alright. Go to Duking's then. Stay there and we'll come get you if we find Wes, okay?"

"Okay," she lied. She left the building and began walking in the general direction of Duking's, but walked into an alley and went to the sewers instead. She had her Shroomish come out and they walked down the passageway that only few, A.K.A. she and Wes, knew about. She only knew about it because Wes had told her it was an emergency escape route in case she needed to get somewhere quickly. It was found behind a hidden door in the sewers. It led into a pristine, white hallway brightly lit by candle-lamps. There were scooters and bicycles and skateboards and mopeds and all sorts of other small vehicles used for quick travel lined up neatly in a garage-like opening off to the side.

She took a moped and rode down the hallway leading to her destination, using the map Wes had made of the place for her. Little did she know of how much danger she would face by following after him on this little excursion.


	9. Chapter 7: The Under

This chapter used to exist, but then I decided I didn't want it happening yet, so it will as well occur at a later point in the story line. Please understand that unless I merge the part of this chapter that I will keep with the next, this chapter will be extremely short, so we'll see how it turns out. Please be patient with me just a little longer and the chapters will start to make more sense and the true plot will develop. I don't know how much I can keep up with updating so much though. I guess it doesn't really matter though, because there are really only one or two people out there that still care for this story in the slightest. I'm debating whether or not I should continue typing this story. There are plenty of other things I could be doing instead of typing up a story no one really cares about. So, if you really like this story and want me to continue updating, then leave reviews and tell your friends to read this. I'm losing my inspiration to care.  
_

The elevator came to a creaking stop as it reached the bottom floor. Wes noted that the place wasn't as lively as usually. Not to say it's every really lively, but there were less people out than usual. He remembered there had been more people in the city above, however. People must be getting tired of the dark city, in want of some sunlight.

Making his way to his hideout he constructed a few months back, he noted that not only were there a handful of people left, but most of the buildings were boarded up and abandoned. The walls and fences, the ground and poles, were all rusted over to near falling apart. No one had kept even the slightest bit of maintenance in The Under. Even the large screen where Lady Venus would make her announcements was turned off with a giant gaping hole in it, cracking all the way through to the walls. Even his hideout was difficult to reach. Large plates that once made up the pathways were uprooted and scattered about in every possible position, blocking view and accessibility to the building, which was the only thing truly left standing with any certainty.

"Home, Sweet Home, huh? Not much left of it, I suppose," he mumbled under his breath. He slowly got to work of moving the plates away and entering the abode to retrieve what he came for before making his way out of the underground rogue utopia; but not without one last long look at the haven.

She had been riding for hours, it seemed. She couldn't remember her exact location, only that it was nearing Phenac City. She knew she had to go to the Outskirt Stand, but she was starving. She had only been gone for less than 30 minutes, but her constant worrying had depleted her energy. Phenac, she had heard, had great restaurants and shopping centers and many other amazing things they never had in Pyrite or The Under. _It wouldn't hurt to stop for a few minutes to eat, right? I can see the sights on my way to a restaurant or something. Yeah. He can't be too far ahead of me. Not yet. Yeah, just a few minutes to spare._

She pulled over at the stop labeled as _Phenac City- mid-town alley. _She quickly made her way out into the open, into Phenac City. She was in an alley between buildings.

Seeing the light at one end, she slowly walked out of the alley and was blinded by a sun brighter than she ever thought possible. Blinking away the brightness and adjusting her eyes proved difficult, but when it worked, she couldn't help but marvel at the sight before her. She had heard stories of the city of water, the oasis of the Orre region, but she never believed it could be this impressive. This beautiful.

All she wanted to do was run around and see everything there was to see. She even forgot the reason she came up to the surface, the reason she was there. She wasn't watching where she was walking, however, and tripped on a crack in the ground, falling into another alley. This one, however, she found she was not alone. "Owww," she groaned as she pushed herself up into a sitting position. Looking up, she saw a group of weird-looking, bald men and an overly buff, larger man with a mustache that had a zig-zag pattern, except the mustache man was a hologram.

"What was that?" he asked.

"Just some little girl who wandered into the wrong alley," one of the weird-looking men answered.

"Show her to me," the mustache man demanded.

On que, one of the men grabbed her by the hair and yanked, dragging her over into the view of the projection.

"L-let me go! Please, it h-hurts!" she cried.

"Stop hurting the young lady, would you?" The grunt mumbled at the request but complied. She backed up against the wall and rubbed the spot the man was pulling from. "Ah, you're one of those little brats that helped our dear little Wes in defeating Cipher, aren't you, little Megg?"

"What?" a grunt gasped.

"This girl helped out that traitor?"

"This must be our lucky day!"

"Yes. Yes, it must be. Take her. Bring her here. She might prove to be of use," the large man ordered.

Megg just stared in surprise for a moment. "No! I will not go with you. Leave me alone! I'm warning you, Wes will come to save me, and then you'll be sorry!"

"Au contraire, my sweet little miss. That is precisely what we want. We are going to use you as bait to draw out and capture dear little Wes."

"Wait. You called Wes a traitor before. Then, you must be-!"

"Yes, we are Team Snagem, and I, the leader, Gonzap!"

"So, you are the group Wes used to belong to? It makes me wonder why he ever joined you..." Megg said.

"Well, maybe, once we secure him, you'll be able to ask him yourself. You two will be having a bit of quality time with each other, after all. Muahahahaha!"

"You're a sick man!" Megg exclaimed as she got her feet to listen to her again.

"Maybe so, but that's how I've gotten all this power. Now, bring her to me!"

"Yes, sir!" the grunts obeyed as one released a Slakoth from a poke ball. "Slakoth, use yawn!"

Megg became drowsy and her feet began to give out on her, but just before she hit the ground again, a shadow, no a figure, someone caught her. The last thing she remembered was the figure and a few more comments before she blacked out.

"Damn it, it's him! Why was he so close by?"

"No, wait. This is our chance, we can catch still catch them!"

"Yeah! Let's go g-"

Yeah, so, it's been awhile. Again. You guys really need to remind me to type this if you want to see any more chapters come out. Sorry it was short, but it's still being filled in the gaps. This should be the last of it, though. I think the rest is as written in my notebook until the end. I finally started... Wait, I can't say that, either. It might spoil things for you. Anyway, until next time. Remember to remind me! And tell me what you think. Leave a review for me, OK? It makes me feel better about continuing this. Ciao~


	10. Just Can't Back Down From A Challenge

Megg awoke in a soft bed, confused. _Where am I? Didn't Team Snagem kidnap me?_ After a moment, she remembered seeing a person before she passed out and wondered if perhaps he or she had saved her. She sat up and looked around, not too surprised that she was unfamiliar with her surroundings._ I need to find out where I am and how much time has passed. I have to catch up to Wes! I have to warn him about Team Snagem!_

Just as she was slipping off the bed, the door opened. It was dark, so she couldn't see much of the person, but she knew then figure was her savior. But who saved her?

"Who are you? And why did you save me from Team Snagem?" she asked.

"You should know who I am, and there are many reasons as to why I saved you. How could I not?" he answered. Megg immediately recognized the voice. "The real question is, why did you come after me Megg?"

"Oh, big brother Wes. I'm sorry. I-I just…" she apologized. He walked over to her and hugged her soothingly as she began to tremble, crying.

"It's okay now. You're safe. We're at the Outskirt Stand. I have some friends here that'll help us out, okay?" he comforted.

"Okay. Wes? Can I ask you something? Or, a couple things?"

"You already did, but sure," he allowed hesitantly. He knew exactly what she was going to ask, and he didn't want to answer, but he knew that if it continued, everyone would know. _It might be for the best to just tell her now._

"Why is Team Snagem after you? Do you know why?"

"They… wish to use… my abilities… to complete a specific task."

"Are they the only ones after you? Or are other Teams after you as well?"

"All known criminal and even several noncriminal organizations will come. Only Cipher and Snagem have openly attempted up until now, however."

"… How much are they willing to risk to get to you?"

"Everything… everything short of their own demise, I would believe."

"Are you going to send me back?"

"No. I cannot. They know I care for you very much, Megg. They will try to use you against. Besides, you came all this way just to see me. I might as well take you on a little trip." He gave a light smile. It was small, but it was still there.

"One more question. Can you tell me why, exactly, all those teams are trying to get you? The real reason?" The smile was gone now. He didn't hold her gaze a moment longer. She couldn't tell the expression he was making as his face was hidden behind his sandy-grey hair. She hadn't notice before but it had grown in the past few months. It was not long enough to cover his forehead before, but now it could hide the majority of his face. "I-I'm sorry. It's none of my business. I shouldn't have asked."

"No. I should be able to tell you. However, I can not..."

"Why is that?"

"It is... not mine to say. It is something I can't reveal, but must be discovered on one's own. Or be told by another who has discovered of their own power. I'm sorry."

"I think I know the rest. Or enough to be satisfied with for now. I believe you are in a lot of pain. I just wish I could share some of that pain with you, if not take it all from you," she said.

"No. No one else should be able to... Heh,' he cracked a small smile again._ I wish I knew what he is thinking. What could possibly have allowed him to smile like that? Wait, don't tell me he's worse than I thought?! Oh, Wes, you better not have gone crazy._

"Are... Are you okay? Wes?... Wes, say something. Did something ha-"

"I'm fine, Megg. I'm fine," he said warily. "You must be hungry. Why don't we get you some food? They have great meals here."

"Oh, um... Okay! I'll take you up on that offer," she agreed. She followed after him out of the room and into the main locomotive car. The ysat down at a vacant table and Megg ordered pancakes and bacon. While she was eating, a pink-haired Rider came over and eyed Wes until he looked over.

"Yo! We meet again, Wes. So who's your young lady friend, huh" the Rider hinted.

"Willie. This is Megg, a friend of mine."

"Hi, Mr. Willie," she greeted with a huge smile.

"Hello, Megg! And please, you needn't call me Mr. It's too formal for a Rider like myself." She nodded and continued to eat when he turned back to Wes. "Well, since you're out here, how 'bout we have ourselves a little battle to kick off the day, eh? What d'you say?" he tempted.

Most people in his situation would have declined the challenge as he was in a hurry and on the run, however Wes has pride and is not your average person. And due to this, he has been known to _never_ turn down a challenge. He doesn't know the meaning of it. He just can't back down from a challenge. Wes hesitated, though. He debated his lack of time, but even Willie knew what Wes would say in the end. He had the teen right where he wanted him. "Fine," Wes tried to grumble angrily, but he was too proud and too excited. "Megg, just finish up your meal. This won't take too long. We'll be right outside. She nodded as he stood up and followed the older man outside.

Megg decided it would be good entertainment to watch their battle; better than it would be to watch the repeating and uninteresting news. It was the typical Orre region 2-on-2. Wes called out Espeon and Umbreon from where they were resting in the shade as Willie released his Zigzagoons from their Pokeballs. Wes' team was much too powerful, though. It was over before it even started.

"Whew. Tough as usual. I never seem able to land a single attack, do I? If you're still here when I get back, I'd like another rematch. Three on three this time, okay?"

"Fine by me so long as nothing comes up," Wes answered. Willie left to get his other Pokemon and heal his Zigzagoon duo. He was gone for just five minutes, but he was fired up again. Wes called over Yanma just before he got back.

"Are you fighting with those three?" Willie asked.

"No. They just don't like being in Pokeballs, and Yanma needs to kill some energy. You're free to roam for a while, Yanma."

'Yes, sir!' the dragonfly-like Pokemon answered. 'Can I get some coffee?'

Wes sighed, but he waved off the bug, a sign that Wes was giving him permission to do as he pleased. 'Yay! Coffee, Coffee, Coffeeeeeeeeee!'

"Your ready?"

"Yeah, let's go," he replied. Being caught up in the heat of the battle distracted Wes, so he was unaware of the five fast approaching auras.

* * *

Rui and the gang had just arrived in Pyrite soon after Wes had gone down into The Under. They had thought it a good idea to visit Nett and Secc, but went to see Duking first.

"Hi, Duking!" Rui greeted immediately upon arrival.

"Ah, Rui! How nice to see you again. Is my dear Plusle doing well, I hope?" he greeted back. On cue, Plusle chirped from Rui's shoulder. "Ah, there you are my darling! I hope you've been a good little Plusle." The other four were just dumbfounded at the behavior of the large man before them. "Who are your friends, Rui,? And... might I ask where Wes is?"

"Oh, these are our friends from abroad: Dawn, Brendan, May, and Barry. You might have heard of them on the news. And as for Wes' whereabouts... well, actually we came to Pyrite in hopes of getting a clue as to where he is."

"Oh, I see. I'm sorry, but I have no idea where he could be," he apologized. Just then, Bitt came in, short of breath due to all the running he had just done.

"Sorry for barging in like this, but I was looking for Megg," Bitt said. "We can't seem to find her."

"Well, she's not here. She should be with Nett at the abandoned warehouse."

"That's strange. She should have been here by now. Unless she... No. She couldn't have-!"

"What's wrong?" Rui asked. Bitt explained how Megg thought she saw Wes on the elevator down to The Under and how she was supposed to have gone to Duking's. He pulled out his PDA and emailed Nett. She might have chased after him, and he has a tendency to attract danger. Even more so now that all criminal organizations were after Wes.

"Oh, no," gasped Rui. "We need to find her right away!"

"But we don't know where either of them went!" exclaimed Dawn.

"We don't, but Nett might. At least to where Megg is," said Bitt. "I've already asked. He should respond any second now... Aha!" His PDA rang, indicating a new message. He read the message. "It seems as if he has a clue I'll read the message. 'If what you say is true, then I fear for my sister's safety. I can only pray she hasn't gotten into any trouble and that she is currently with Wes, where she should be safe. I might have an idea where she could have gone, but we have not spotted Wes at any of the entrances, so he is either still down there, dead or alive, or he knows another way out, which is much more likely, since this is Wes we're talking about. But I do have a sure way of finding Megg. I have a tracking device to locate her. I'll be at Duking's soon and I'll explain the rest.'"

"Okay, so now is all we have to do is wait for this Nett guy to show up so we can track down Megg who is hopefully with Wes," concluded May. Unknown to them, Megg was being ambushed by Team Snagem at this moment, but would soon find her with Wes as well. At that time, Nett burst in through the door, short of breath much like Bitt had been but minutes before.

"I'm here... Follow me... The tracking... machine... is just... behind that door," he panted pointing at the bookshelf.

"Hunh? What do you mean? There's just a bookshelf!" Barry exclaimed, looking at him like he was insane.

"He... Hahaha! No, no. Actually if you just press this," Bitt reached in and pressed down on a shelf, "it opens into the Kids' Grids hideout, which only Wes had ever found, or so I heard." The bookshelf moved and revealed a dark cave-like room with tons of junk. Nett went in and came backout with a small, handheld machine.

"This is my tracking machine. If you turn it on, you'll see a map of the region and a small red dot, which indicates where the target is, in this case, Megg," Nett explained. He turned it on and the map and dot appeared. "It seems... she is on the move. She is moving quickly between Phenac and the Outskirt Stand, which would be hard to believe if she were on her own, so she must have met up Wes. If that's the case, he'll probably be a while. Willie's there and everyone knows he's always looking for tough trainers to challenge, specifically Wes. And we all know that Wes just can't back down from a challenge!"

Everyone flinched from his sudden outburst. When he realized his outburst, his face turned bright red and he muttered an apology. "Well, you better start going to Outskirt before they finish their battle. Who knows, you might even get to see part of their battle, or one of their battles. Get going. I don't want him to be lost if he's there. Oh, and take the tracker, just in case," Nett said, lending them the tracker.

"Let's go," Brendan said. The group ran back out and mounted Wes' bike and set off towards Outskirt Stand. They were actually quite glad to leave, for Pyrite was a thug town and scorned most of them. "Fits Wes quite well," Barry had commented, indicating being rough and mysterious.

As they were nearing the Outskirt Stand, an explosion appeared just next to it.

"What the hell was that?!" Barry screamed.

"Don't know, but let's hurry up!" Brendan yelled back determined.


	11. Chapter 9: Finally Caught Up!

Well, it seems like I might be updating a bit more recently. Perhaps I might even finish typing this story before summer break. Of course we shouldn't get our hopes up, but its still four months away, so who know? Anyway, here's the next chapter. I think I put some action in this chapter, or the next, but its been a couple years since I wrote it, so I can't be too sure. I guess we'll find out what's in store for us. Enjoy~

* * *

"Let's go! Linoone and Whismur!" shouted Willie as he threw out the pokeballs containing the two Pokemon.

"Alright! Typhlosion! Meganium!" Wes called out his two Pokemon. "Let's g-...Wait." Wes looked over, out into the desert.

"What's wrong, Wes?" Willie asked. Wes pointed at his bike with its five passengers in the distant, getting closer. They'd be there in just a minute. They had spotted him and were now shouting his name.

"Ugh, company. Let's just battle already, okay?"

"Fine. Let's go!" Wes agreed. "You can start, if you want."

"Okay! Linoone, Quick Attack on Typhlosion! Whismur, use Uproar!"

"Typhlosion, dodge and use Sunny Day! Meganium, use Leech Seed on Whismur!" The sun grew bright and hot as roots emerged from the ground, trapping the Whismur, slowly sapping away its life and transferring it to Meganium. At this point, the others had arrived and were watching to see what would happen next. "Okay, Meganium!" _Solarbeam on Linoone; Typhlosion, Flamethrower on Whismur._

Meganium immediately shot off a powerful, bright beam known as Solarbeam, instantly causing Linoone to faint as a flowing blast of fire engulfed Whismur, causing it, as well, to fall over, unable to fight anymore. With those two down, Willie was permitted only one other Pokemon, but Wes didn't think it quite fair. "Willie, go ahead and use another. It'll be four on three." Willie didn't like the idea of needing a handicap, but he was desparate and would take any chance to even land on hit on one of his Pokemon.

"Grr... Fine. Go, Linoone and Exploud!" Willie growled.

"Meganium, come back! Feraligator, its your turn." Feraligator took Meganium's place on the field. Wes hesitated, wondering if he should just let him team end it or if he should let them have some fun first.

"Don't hold back on me, Wes! Go all out!" Willie shouted.

"It'd be against my nature to do otherwise! You know that," Wes grinned manically. Willie flinched, but recomposed himself quickly. Of course, he didn't even need to tell his team what to do. Feraligator used Rain Dance, bringing a downpour as Typhlosion disappeared underground using Dig, tunneling beneath the field. The rain water soaked into the ground and flooded the tunnels, which proceeded to collapse behind Typhlosion, leaving him muddy.

"Ha! Exploud, use Earthquake! Linoone, Quick Attack to dodge it!" Willie commanded. Typhlosion emerged from the ground and avoided the attack before it hit him and he dug back down once it was over. Only Wes and his Pokemon noticed, however, due to Typhlosion being camoflaged by the mud and the soft ground was refilled . Feraligator used Protect to avoid the attack.

Typhlosion came from the ground and jumped high into the air as Feraligator used Ice Beam to freeze the ground, causing Willie's Pokemon to slip and fall.

"It's the end, Willie. Okay, Typhlosion, finish them off. This is a combo I like to call Icequake Splash," Wes said. Typhlosion landed gracefully and heavily on the ice and used Earthquake to make the ice and ground mix into an ultimate combe attack, destroying the enemy's team.

"What's with the 'Splash' part?" Willie asked, confused. Wes just looked up at the now sunny and hot sky. "So he used Sunny Day again. So what?" Wes looked back down at the ground. "Oh," he realized just a bit too late.

"The Grand Finale!" Wes explained as water spurted out of Typhlosion's tunnels, throwing back and finishing off Willie's team for good. "You've gotten better, Willie, but I've got to get going now. Come on, Megg!" Said girl ran outside and jumped onto Wes, wrapping her arms around his neck and swinging, overjoyed and Wes fought to catch his balance and hold her up.

"See ya later, then, Wes," Willie waved as he walked away back to finish his breakfast.

"You were amazing, Wes! I always knew you were good, but I've never actually seen you batte before!" Megg exclaimed.

"Wow! That was so Cool! Totally Wicked, Wes!" Barry's eyes were sparkling with admiration and awe. Wes flinched as he turned back to the others.

"Let me guess, Nett has a tracker on Megg," Wes deadpanned.

"Yup. Don't ever do that again, Wes! You just disappeared without warning!" Rui chastised. She looked about ready to break down in tears.

"Hey, is your arm better? Does it hurt?" Dawn asked.

"What do you mean? Big brother Wes isn't hurt, right?" Megg asked worried.

"It's fine, Megg. Nothing happened," Wes assured her with a fake smile.

"What do you mean nothi-" May got cut off by the intenseness of Wes' expression. "Never mind. Sorry. Forget I said anything!" Wes nodded in thanks then turned and whistled. "What are you doing?"

"We need to leave," was the reply.

"Why?" Brendan asked.

"Because he doesn't want his little_ friends_ to get hurt, isn't that right, _Dear __Little Wes_?" a deep, menacing voice emanated from behind them.

"Wha-? Who are you?" Brendan demanded.

"No, stay away! You can't take big brother!" Megg yelled at the man and two others following close behind.

"Ah, yes. The brat that escaped. I see you remember me," he said. "Now, why don't you come along quietly, Wes. We can have our little family reunion."

Wes grabbed Megg and lowered gently onto the ground. It's been a while, Wakin. However, I don't recognize these two. New recruits?"

"Are they Team Snagem?" Dawn asked. Rui nodded.

"Yes, well, after that little stunt you pulled, we lost quite a few," Wakin answered.

"How about this a bet, Wakin? You and your friends there can team up. Have a little traditional get-together. Y'know the ones we always had when Boss was out without us. Old-school style," Wes negotiated. Wakin perked up at this.

"Rules? Conditions?" he asked eagerly.

"Old school, like I said. If you land a single blow in the time limit, I'll come along quietly. If not, you leave, no questions asked. Nice and simple, right? Time limit can be... I'll be generous this time and say you get ten minutes," Wes smiled deviously.

"I like that. Easy enough. You're on, boy. But don't underestimate me like the last time. You're at a disadvantage this time. Of course, you set the rules, so no complaining, 'kay?" Wakin agreed. "Let's go, boys." The three thugs charged at Wes.

"Wait, wait, wait. WHAT?! I thought this was a battle!" exclaimed Rui and Barry. Just before Wakin could punch, Wes ducked under the blow and lashed out with his leg, tripping Wakin. The other two paused for a moment.

"Tch. You didn't let me start the timer, Wakin. Oi, Rui. Would you mind pressing start on this?" Wes tossed her a timer. "Its a brawl. That's what old school means to us."

"No! I disagree with this!" Rui argued.

"Can't you just believe me on this?" Wes asked.

"F-fine," she concured, pressing the button.

"Okay, now we can begin." Wes said excitedly. Wakin and his cronies attacked Wes left and right, but he just dodged every blow with ease, smiling the whole while, eyes closed. Not once did he lash out with his own attack.

"Why won't you fight back, Wes?" demanded Barry.

"Why? In this style, I have my hands tied behind my back," Wes anwered, indicating his hands behind him. "It's not fun otherwise. This is how I always handled the brawls back at the base. "_I only attack if the rules are broken._"

"But there _are _no rules!" Rui yelled.

"I'd beg to differ. I always land a single attack, since the rules are _always broken_." Wakin was getting anxious and losing his control with every swing and kick that missed. "Oh, good one. You almost got close that time."

"Damn you, you bastard!" yelled Wakin.

"Ouch. The that hurts, y'know?" he replied innocently as he spun to dodge a side blow. Wakin and his companions were beginning to pant from exhaustion.

"What is he talking about, Rui?" Brendan asked. "Is he saying that he's actually a bastard by definition?"

"I... I don't know. He never talked about his personal life. I only knew of him being with Team Snagem since we had a run in with them."

"How much time is left?" Wes asked as he jumped over a leg trying to trip him.

"Thirty seconds, Wes!" Megg answered.

"Okay. Better step it up a notch, or are you already tired?"

"Never!" Wakin yelled as he charged again. He aimed right at Wes' chest, but Wes leaned back, launching into a backflip, easily landing on his feet.

_Ding! Ding!_

The timer went off. "Aaaaaaahhhh!" Wakin yelled as he charged to punch Wes once more. This time, though, he didn't dodge. He lifted his forearm to push Wakin's blow off balance and used the palm of his other hand to hit Wakin right in the face, blowing him back several meters. He lay on the ground a minute before the other two snapped out of their trance and went to help him to his feet. His nose was bent at a strange angle and blood was gushing out .

"I win, now leave. You pushed your luck by breaking the rules. Again," Wes growled angrily. "You're lucky I held back. Don't expect me to be so kind the next time." The trio turned tail and ran off with their tails between their legs, cursing and yelling about how he would pay for this.

"Woooooowwww, you're so coooool, Wes! You're good at all types of battles, huh? That was so awesome!" exclaimed an excited Barry. "Do you think you could teach me how to do all of that?" Wes just glared at Barry.

"Fun's over. We leave," Wes said coldly. "And that is something you must learn on your own, from personal experience and years of practice and... For your sake, I hope that never happens." With that, Wes began to walk away. He stopped at the side of the Outskirt Stand, pausing and turning around as if to ask if they were coming.

"Um... Shouldn't we take the bike?" asked May.

"You could barely fit the five of you on it, which it was never made for in the first place; what makes you think it's going to hold seven?" he countered.

"W-well, that's true. But how else are we going to travel?"

"We can just leave the bike here. Now, you have two options from here, and I hope you are smart enough to choose correctly, but I highly doubt it. One, you can come with me. Please don't. Or two, you could go home. Please do that."

"Do you really need to ask that? I thought it would be clear what we were doing, Wes," Brendan said, offended.

"Painfully so, but I was hoping that perhaps you would make a smart decision for once. It seems I was hoping for too much. So, that leaves you with two options for travel. You can come with me directly, but I wouldn't suggest it, or you can travel with these three," he indicated Entei, Suicune, and Raikou, "and meet me at the next stop."

"I'm going with you, big brother!" Megg decided as she jumped onto Wes again, dangling as she had before. Wes smiled at her, which made everyone double-take and gape at him.

"Seems he's got a soft spot for her," chuckled Barry. It was then decided, however, that they would join the three legendaries. Barry rode on Entei, Brendan and May on Suicune, and Dawn and Rui on Raikou.

As soon as they were situated, Wes disappeared into the nearest entryway to his underground passage. He jumped in with Megg still attached to him. The legendaries took off at full speed through the desert, leaving the group with more questions about Wes than they started with, most of which concerning his past.

* * *

Well, I guess that's it for this chapter, so I hope you enjoyed it. I have to go now, so Review! Please, it helps me. It gives me motivation to continue typing. I hope you liked the poorly written battle scenes. Until next time. Ciao~


	12. Chapter 10: Mt Battle

Chapter 10: Mt. Battle

Hey, you're supposed to remind me to write these! This chapter is short but the next one is really long, so if you want me to post it before the end of Spring Break, then send me a review, let me know what you think and make sure I post these. I won't forgive you if you don't. I'll make sure to postpone the following chapter long after I've typed it if you don't, got it? Well, anyway, don't let that get you down, and please enjoy the next chapter. I can't remember if this one had the next piece of action or if that's in the next chapter or two. Either way, soon something bad, really, really bad is gonna happen to Wes. So, enjoy~

* * *

Wes and Megg arrived early at Mt. Battle, after little over hour of travel. Wes' calculations led him to predict the arrival of the others within the next hour and so decided to kill time by treating Megg to a delicacy unknown to the rogue region of Orre, served only at Phenac and Mt. Battle: ice cream. Any who have lived outside of the Orre region couldn't imagine living without ice cream. It is unheard of! But for those in Orre, it is unheard of to have it, for even those who have access to vendor, it is one of the most expensive items on the market as it costs a lot to import or make it and then to keep it frozen in the desert climate is quite expensive and taxing.

As Megg's face lit up at her first taste of ice cream, Wes knew it was an experience she would never forget and would always brag about when she returned. He decided it was a good time to scope out the area and complete and what he came to do. Not thirty minutes after he disappeared, the others were seen riding, looking sore and about to fall over. Megg didn't even notice them, as she was too busy trying to pace herself on the ice cream, as she discovered the phenomena of eating it too fast. The pain known as a Brain Freeze(I've never had one before, despite eating tons of ice cream myself, so I can't really describe it too well, sorry). When she felt the ground vibrating from the running beasts, she finally looked up to see the others coming in fast. She slowly put down her sixth ice cream cone to greet the foreigners. "What took you so long? I've been here alone for a half hour with nothing but these to past the time!" She held out her cone.

"What do you mean? We thought we would beat you here. That must've been one quick vehicle you guys took," mused Rui.

"No vehicle. Big brother carried me and he ran really, really fast! So it only took us a little over an hour, but it was fun," exclaimed Megg. "And then he got me this. He said its called ice cream. Its really good; you guys should try it!"

"Ooooh, ice cream! Yum!" Barry got excited. "Where's Wes?" asked Brendan.

"He said he'd be right back."

"How long ago was that?"

"About thirty minutes ago."

"Do you think he ran into trouble? What if someone caught him? Rui worried.

"I see you guys finally arrived," someone behind them stated plainly, walking up to them. "Sorry 'bout the wait, but its hard to get to Vander without fighting his trainees, so I got held up from battles. I'm done here, so we can get going again."

"But we just got here!" complained Barry.

"I see no reason for you to complain. You weren't even the one running, with or without extra weight," he replied coldly.

"Well, then at least let them rest!"

"Trust me, by now they are completely rejuvenated. Even so they are doing something else. You are to follow me."

"I thought you said it was..." Barry cut himself off at Wes' glare. Everyone just followed Wes silently, except Megg who rode on his back, laughing. "Man, for such a cold guy, he's got quite the soft spot for the five-year old." The next thing Barry knew, there was ice cream dripping from his face.

"I'm eight, you idiot!" Megg corrected angrily. Wes whispered something in her ear that caused her to look back at Barry and laugh.

"W-what's so funny, huh?" Barry said as he wiped ice cream from his face, revealing red cheeks.

"Just leave it be, Barry," Dawn sighed. May giggled and put her arm around Brendan, which caused him to flush, making her giggle more at how cute he was to her.

"OK. Fun's over. Let's get going," Wes interjected.

"So where are we going next?" Brendan asked. Wes closed his eyes as if to think, but he continued to walk, stopping just in front of the wall of the mountain at Mt. Battle. "Um, Wes? That's the wall of the mountain. And this is a dead-end."

"Wes knows that! But you're wrong about it being a dea-" Megg began. Wes held a finger up to silence her. "Sorry." Everyone else looked confused for at least two reasons: one, why Megg would know what Wes was doing, and two, what did she know that they didn't that caused Wes to silence her. "Just follow big brother, then!"

"Okay, Megg, why don't you get a scooter ready for yourself We'll be right behind you," Wes smiled at her. She nodded and bounded... into... the wall? But she was gone. She disappeared through the wall? What the-? Everyone gaped.

"W-wha? How? How is that possible? Where did she go? Did she just faze through the mountain?" questioned May.

"Yes and no," explained Wes. "yes she did just walk through there, but no, she didn't faze through the mountain. Come on, we don't have much time." He walked through the wall, hoping the others would stop ogling and follow after them. Luckily, they did, knowing it was the only way to get more answers. They closed their eyes and braced themselves as they walked through, slightly surprised to have not felt something. Like a wall.

"Go ahead and take you pick. Just don't destroy them," Wes instructed. They opened their eyes to be truly amazed to find themselves in a hallway with chrome walls, white and black checkered floors, and endless sight of it in ten different directions.

"What the? Hey, where are we? What is this place?" demanded a curious May.

"Yeah, and where does it lead to?" asked Barry.

"Maybe, how vast are these tunnels?" suggested Brendan.

"Answer us, Wes" Rui tried to get him to answer, but they really weren't giving him much of a chance to answer. Despite that, he remained quiet. He hadn't chosen a name for his tunnels. He usually just referred to them as entrances.

Megg revved the scooter's engine. "Let's just go! Where to Wes?"

"... The Lab," he replied. "Choose or leave, I care not." He motioned to the selection of vehicles behind the group. Eventually, after the shock wore off, they one by one grabbed a bike.

"Go. That hallway. I'll meet you there. You keep Megg safe and she will guide you, correct?"

"Yes sir, big brother!" she saluted before enthusiastically zooming down the previously indicated hallway with five less than enthusiastic foreigners following behind. Megg and Wes had discussed the plan ahead of time while they were waiting for the others to catch up at Mt. Battle. Megg was to lead the others to the Lab, or close to it but far enough away that Wes had time to infiltrate it before the others caught up. Wes only hoped there would be minimal resistance left over by Cipher and little trouble to deal with. However, Wes being Wes, would have the worst luck and trouble would be inevitable. It always finds him, in one way or another. At that, the question was "when and where" it would be found.

Once the others were long out of sight, he began to make his was in the same direction, slightly off course at a direct path to the entrance at the Lab. He nodded to his two partners in crime, Umbreon and Espeon, and they took off, running.

* * *

So that's that chapter. The next chapter: Entering and Breaking. Its reeeeaaaaallllyyy long and might take some time to type, but if I can finish all the work I need to do today (Its a lot), then maybe I can get started on it and finish before the end of the weekend, but I'm gonna need some motivation. Oh, and thanks to Supermangas92. Its been a while since I got your review, but it made my life. I love you and thank you so much. Your review made me cry almost. I've never had someone like this story this much. And thanks as well to Crystal no Otaku. Your constant reviews help me so much. Please continue both of you. And thank you to all my other readers out there. I love you all, too. I just wanted to put a special thank you to those two for being so supportive of this story. Well, until next time! Ciao~


	13. Chapter 11: Entering and Destroying

Well, I guess this is the next chapter. Thank you much to all those who review. You make my day every time. And some of you have noticed I don't like Rui. It's true. She always seemed to be this overly-clingy girl who annoyed me. I'll also try to answer some of your reviews. I apologize if I don't answer yours, but I'm just going through my fanfiction email and might not go so far.

ReginaDC21: I was wrong, its not for a few more chapters before something bad happens, I think, but this chapter does have a nice explosion if I remember clearly. I wrote these chapters two years ago, so it's hard to remember. It might be at the end of this or the next or in five. I can't remember. And yes, more legendaries make appearances, but most won't show up until the sequel. Yes, everyone, you heard correct. There will be a sequel, but only because I wanted to and you would all kill me if I left the ending that I did. As for fatal/permanent things happening to Wes, well, I can't answer that. It would give it away. But someone does die at the end and its not Rui. Debating it for the sequel, though.

BulletWitch1985: Thank you for not 'giving it away,' but I think this is different from what you're thinking. I'm throwing out some curveballs that even I wasn't expecting. And they are cute, aren't they?

Crystale no otaku: Of course you're that important! I love all my reviewers, but something about yours gave me that extra little push and motivation. And the entrances? Not even I know how many there are. They're everywhere. And they might even extend beyond the Orre region. You never know. Don't worry, Wes won't get hurt in the Lab. This is more of a comical chapter for the most part, so don't beat yourself over that. And good luck with everything. You seem very busy and I wish the best of luck and am very glad for your time to write the reviews. I look forward to your next one! Thank you much!

SpiritTrainer: Sort of, but it's a bit more complicated than that. Most things will be answered in the sequel, so I apologize for not being able to tell you all now. I'm sorry if I confuse you. You can write in a review or PM me if you have any specific questions and I'll try to get back to you and answer the best I can.

Azure blue espeon: sorry it was short, but I'm glad you liked it. This chapter should be a bit longer, I believe.

Supermangas92: I try to make him badass. But he has to have that sweeter, caring side. Just a bit. Yes, there is an explosion. Unfortunately, you forgot that it is still intact in Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness. There is a sequel for it to happen in, though. Heheheheh~ I'm glad you'll be here to read it. I've been really busy lately, so I'll be glad to get this chapter out. I hope you enjoy it!

Well, I think that was everyone, but I apologize if I missed someone. Anyway, enjoy the next chapter!

* * *

Chapter 11: Entering and Destroying

"You sure this is the right exit? We passed like, ten earlier," questioned Brendan. "I don't think it was quite this far on the map." He doubted the distance traveled and the distance Wes would travel were equal, but Megg just smiled back and replied, "Sure I'm sure! This is where we're supposed to go."

"Okay, fine, but it just doesn't feel like the right distance. It feels like we should have gone back up to the surface already." _I Don't think this is where Wes is going..._

_"_Come on! Up the hole we go," Megg said in a sing-song voice. _Why are these people even following Wes? Big brother couldn't have met them more than a few days ago. _Megg just didn't understand why they were following. Rui was saved by him, so she was understood, but what about the others? What connection did they have? _I guess I'll just have to ask them._.. She was the first to go up, followed by the others soon after. Megg braced herself, but did not warn the others of the blinding light they encountered upon exiting into the desert. When they adapted to the light, they noticed Megg with her head down in a melancholy manner.

"What's wrong, Megg?" Rui asked concerned. She just stood there a moment before answering.

"I... I understand you, Rui, but..." she stopped to look up, "But I don't understand you guys."

"What do you mean?" May asked.

"Why?... Why are you following big brother when you haven't even known him very long? You only met a couple days ago. I-It's not like I don't like you or anything, I just don't understand! You know that he's a magnet for trouble and he lives for it. But this time, he's even not enjoying it because of all the attention directed at him! His failure this time could spell disaster and death, even. Yet you still follow him. Why? Just tell me why you continue after him despite his attempts to push you away?"

"Well, we didn't exactly come here for a vacation, to tell the truth. It was a bit more than that," May admitted. "We actually met Wes once before. Except for Barry, he just wanted to come with us."

"Yeah. Sadly, I'll be leaving in a few days if their business is not yet done.

"Yeah, we actually met Wes before at-"

* * *

Wes had left the tunnels at a much earlier point; one leading directly into the Shadow Pokemon Lab area. He wasn't surprised to find that the electric fence was down. He sent Typhlosion, Feraligator, and Meganium to keep watch around the Lab while he and his two partners entered into the Lab. Espeon used psychic abilities as a radar while Umbreon ran ahead to check for obstacles.

'Wes,' Espeon called.

'What?'

'I think you should change for this.' Wes was angered by this.

'Why? Why should I?'

'It would be easier. Don't deny it; you think so too.'

'Grrr...'

'Why do you hate it so?'

'I just do.' Espeon glared at him. Unspoken words were said.

'Fine. But only for now... What should I...?'

'How about Glacion?'

'Glacion?... Alright.' One moment Wes was just standing there, the next, a light engulfed him and left a small, blue, fox-like creature in his place. 'How do I look?'

'You look great. Being small like this will make it much easier to travel. Not by human standards, mind you. You're rather small for a 17-year old human, don't you think?' Espeon teased.

'Watch it, or I might not be able to hold back the beast within,' Wes growled,teasing back.

'I'm just saying the truth, Wes, and you know it. Besides, you're not really human.'

'I know that. I never was truly human, I remember.'

'You don't always seem to remember,' Espeon pointed out.

'Well, I do. We should get going,' he dodged before making his way over to Umbreon who was waiting at the entrance to a ventilation system.

'Glaceon, huh? You look great! We need to be small for this job. By Pokemon standards, at least. You're quite petite as a human,' Umbreon commented. Espeon laughed hard while Wes snarled at the both of them, specifically Espeon. 'What? What'd I say?'

'Nearly the same as me,' Espeon chuckled. 'Don't worry, Wes. You look very cute, which is a compliment as Pokemon.'

'I know,' Wes sighed. 'Let's just go, already. The others won't be too long behind us if we keep stalling.'

'Alright.' Umbreon pulled the grating off the vent entrance and let Wes in first, following soon after with Espeon trailing at back. 'It's rather hot in here, isn't it?'

'I'll take care of that,' Glaceon offered. His hair bristled, releasing a frost-like air across the vents, effectively cooling down the surrounding areas. 'Better?'

'Much,' they both sighed in relief.

'I suppose being Glaceon wasn't such a bad idea.'

'Ha! See? What'd I tell you?' Espeon gloated. 'It's easier as a Glaceon.

'Ah, whatever. It doesn't matter. Let's just get out of here! I don't like it very much in this place, if you get me,' Umbreon urged.

'Yeah, we know. We feel the same, Umbreon. And it gives me an idea for a Grand Exit,' Glaceon smirked.

'Uh, don't you mean entrance?'

'Nope, I mean exit.'

'Oh, I get it now!'

'But we've already used this,' Espeon complained.

'True, but I like it. That's why I use it so often,' Glaceon admitted. 'It'll make things even and it'll stall Cipher for a while.'

'But then they'll just make it all the more painful for you!'

'Only if they catch me.' The next few minutes went by in silence until they heard voices from below. It was Ein, working at his computer, and Venus, hovering over him.

"... So, what are you doing, Ein?" she asked. "Is it Shadow Pokemon or is it that adorable boy? I want him for my own, you know?"

"Are you talking about _him_?" he asked.

"Well, who else?"

"You know he must pay for what he did!"

"Well, at least let me take care of him after that. I want to nurse him back to health so I can break him and make him mine. All mine."

"Humph. Good luck taming him."

"Oh, I know just how to do it. Then I'll ravish and violate him. He'll be my little lover!" she exclaimed confidently. Wes frowned in disgust. Espeon and Umbreon chuckled silently.

'That bitch has another thing coming if she thinks she can tame _you_,' Espeon snickered.

"All the organizations around the world are after him! There's going to be competition for his capture."

"Ooooh, I want him so bad! I want him, I want him, I want him!" Venus cried.

"Okay, Okay! Sheesh, just calm down already. Team Snagem is the only real problem right now," Ein reassured. "After he recidves punishment, you can have him and do whatever you want to him. It'll make the later job easier. Then we won't have any trouble getting him into 'it,' which is what I am mainly studying right now."

"Okay! As long as I get him~" Venus swooned mischeviously. "Oh, and what of the girl?"

"We can use her as blackmail, or simply dispose of her. It doesn't matter."

"Oh, just get rid of her! She's useless, just following that boy around everywhere he goes! All she did was create trouble and yell to the world she saw a Shadow Pokemon. I don't think it was ever proven, but I think Wes could see the aura as well. Even if not, anyone could tell a Shadow Pokemon from regular Pokemon just by the moves it uses."

"..." Ein grinned evilly.

"What's with the face? What are you thinking?"

"I'd like to turn that boy into a Shadow. He _is_ part Pokemon, after all."

"What?! How do you know that?... He's only a boy, you know? You shouldn't turn him into a miserable Shadow! That's just cruel," she cried.

"And ravishing him and turning him into your lover is any better? He's probably still a virgin despite the teen craze in having sex too young." He countered. "He is but a child, however his mind works like that of an Ancient... Oh, and we got DNA from the spilt blood in Phenac City's Mayor's house. Remember Shadow Makuhita attacked Wes?" She nodded. "Well, the force seems to have broken a rib or two and impaled an organ, causing blood to form in his mouth, which he spat out. Probably when the girl wasn't looking to spare her the worry."

* * *

_"Attack!" Trudly commanded. The Shadow Makuhita launched off too quickly and put all its strength into its fist, which made impact on Wes. The force of impact sent Wes flying back into the wall behind him, leaving a rather large dent. "Hahahahahahah! He should be knocked out cold now!" Rui stared in horror at Wes' figure, now rebounding off the wall slightly. Just enough that he pealed off the wall and landed on his knees. He would have fallen on his face had he been unconcious, but he fell onto his hands. He slowly pushed himself back up onto his feet, ignoring the excruciating pain in his chest, where he was hit. Rui gasped in relief as Wes walked back to his position. She turned back to look at the gaping and scarred Folly and Trudly. "Th-that's not possible! He shouldn't even be able to move, much less be conscious!... N-no matter. There is no way you can defeat my Shadow Pokemon!"_

_Wes spit out the blood filling his mouth. He grinned, with blood-stained, yet still white, teeth, blood dripping down from his mouth. "We'll see about that. Umbreon, Espeon, let's go!" Espeon used Reflect to protect themselves and Umbreon ran up to the Makuhita and bit down hard, causing the yellow bulk to cry out in pain._

_'If this hurts so much, just imagine what Master Wes is feeling, you stupid blob!' Umbreon yelled at it. Espeon then used Return, almost causing the Makuhita to faint, only still conscious because Espeon held back. Wes chucked a Snag Ball at it and it caught._

_"Wh-what?!" Folly exclaimed in disbelief._

_"H-he snagged it! My Shadow Pokemon! It's not possible." Trudly cried._

_"R-run!" Folly yelled. The two ran away as Wes Wiped the blood away, hiding the evidence. 'I'll have to treat this wound later. Can't let her fuss over it.'_

* * *

"Yeah, I saw the videos. It makes him seem immortal and fearless," Venus mused. "It makes me want him even more!"

Ein sighed. "Whatever. Now can you shut up and let me work!"

Well, since you put it that way..." she feigned thought. "NO!"

"The sooner I finish, the sooner we capture him," Ein bribed. She just pouted. "And the soon you can have him to yourself."

"Yay~! I get Wessie-poo!" she squealed.

'Pffft! Wessie-poo? Hahahaahahhahhahahahaahahaha!' Umbreon burst out laughing, rolling on the floor. 'You'll have your hands full with that one,' Espeon pitied. 'I suggest avoiding her... And Ein for that matter. She'll cause you pain mentally and emotionally. He'll cause it and damage you. I think they are the most dangerous Cipher members to you. They should be feared, even from the fearless.'

'Espeon,' he interrupted. 'Only priests and fools are fearless... And I know very well who to avoid and what to fear.'

'I apologize. I should've known you'd know.'

'You can make it up to me by making him shut up,' Glaceon indicated the still laughing Umbreon.

'I quite agree,' Espeon complied. Wes turned back to the Ciphers so as to not watch Umbreon's pain, but he still heard it. Wes almost pitied him. Almost.

'So what now?' Umbreon asked after he had been silenced. The duo turned to their master, waiting for instructions.

'I need a distraction so I can get into that hatch in the wall and back. Can you guys handle that?' The duo grinned devously at each other and nodded. He nodded back as he crept farther through to the next vent hole.

Umbreon kicked out the vent, causeing it ot clatter loudly on the ground, startling Ein and Venus. They went to investigate to find nothing. Shrugging, they blamed it on a loose screw. Turning back, they freaked again to find a moving box, which they discovered, when Ein picked it up, had nothing in it aor underneath. Lady Venus shrieked in horror. Ein tried to toss the box on the ground, but it just floated in mid-air. A marker floated to the box and drew an angry face on it. Venus screamed and ran away, the angry box chasing her and Ein staring after in disbelief.

During the mischief, Wes had made his way over to the intended hatch and retrieved his 'key,' hanging it on his neck with an ice necklace, and climbing back up to the vent where he saw his two partners fooling around.

'We're all done here. Let's get going.' The duo were reluctant to stop their fun, but complied and followed him to the exit. Once outside, he called the trio. 'Let's try this differently. Typhlosion, use Sunny Day!' He obeyed and followed after Feraligator in running ahead. 'Alright. Time for the Grand Finale! Meganium, Solarbeam!'

Meganium absorbed the sunlight and unleashed one of the most powerful Solarbeams in history, causing a huge explosion and tower of smoke from the Lab as Wes and his team ran southwest towards Megg and the group.

* * *

Well, that's it for now. Sorry for cutting off the conversation earlier, but I want it to be a surprise when it comes back up in a few chapters. Hope you enjoyed it. It was more a comedic chapter, so I hope I got you to laugh. Anyway, its time for me to go and watch some anime. Next time: Back to Hell part 1. Ciao~


	14. Chapter 12: Back to Hell Part 1

Hello everyone! Been a while, hasn't it? You still haven't reminded me to update. You aren't doing your jobs! Unless, you don't want me to continue this story? Is that the reason why none of you have told me? Anyway, I'm going to post this chapter now because I'm going on a trip for a few weeks and I won't have internet very often. If you want me to continue, I want at least three reviews before I update again. Who knows, I might even be able to update on my trip. So, without further ado, I give you Chapter 12: Back to Hell Part 1.

Chapter 12: Back to Hell Part 1

BOOM!

The explosion shook the earth under their feet. They were still about a mile away and the tremor still nearly knocked them off their feet. The smoke on the horizon billowed clearly in the sky.

"Oh my Arceus! What was that?!" May yelled. "Is that where Wes is?"

"…Yup. He's probably the one who created the explosion. It's just like the Snagem Hideout all over again, it seems," Megg answered.

"He-he blew the place up?" Brendan asked, amazed. Megg nodded.

"Cool!" Barry exclaimed. "Was it a bomb?" Megg was unsure but said it probably was. "I need him to show me how to get some of those."

"He makes his own bombs, he says," Megg informed him.

"Even better! He has to show me how to make them!" Barry jumped in excitement.

"What's that? A Pokémon?" Dawn pointed at a blue object coming toward them on the horizon. "Is that… It's Feraligator! And there's Typhlosion, too."

"Really?" May looked closer. "It is! Wes must be close behind them." By the time the duo reached the group, a black and purple dot were seen followed by a blue one and a much larger green object next to them. The group began to makes its way toward the incoming objects in order to cross paths sooner.

"That's Umbreon and Espeon… Meganium, too. But… what's the blue one…?" Rui wondered aloud.

"I can't say for sure from here, but I think I know what made the explosion," Dawn announced. "Typhlosion must have used Sunny Day to strengthen the sun before following Feraligator. Meganium would have then used a super-powered Solarbeam. With their strength, I believe Meganium would have been able to pull it off."

"That could be what happened, but for that large an explosion, Wes' partners must have off-the-charts strength," Brendan mused. "And I believe the blue-fox to be one of the Eeveelutions as it resembles Umbreon and Espeon. It is a Glaceon, if I'm not mistaken. They are quite rare and one of the very few pure ice-type Pokémon in existence. I would very much so like to catch one for myself." As he rambled on, Umbreon, Espeon, and Meganium had reached them. "… Wait, where'd the Glaceon go? Wasn't it right behind you?"

Everyone looked to find that the Glaceon had stopped and turned around for a moment before turning back and walking over to the group.

"Why, hello there, little Glaceon," Rui sweet-talked to it. The Glaceon just arched its back and bristled its fur, turning the surrounding air cold and misty.

'Cold, cold, cold, cold, cold. COLD!' Umbreon complained before tackling the Glaceon, pinning it to the ground. This distracted the Glaceon long enough to allow the sun to burn away its ice.

"Oh, why'd you have to do that?" Barry whined. "The cold felt so good in this heat. Don't tell me it was too cold for you."

"Well, the three of them have lived in the desert for a long time, so they might be too used to the heat," Rui pointed out. "It might really be too cold for them."

"But Rui," May interrupted, "the nights in a desert are extremely cold. It's only really hot during the day. By that logic, they should be used to both extremes. It might actually be that… um…"

"That they are unused to a relief like that. The cold was such a relief, as it wasn't an utter extreme, was something so unknown that it was unbearable," Dawn offered. "It is some unknown feeling or the like. Which actually would go to show that they had rather… cruel lives."

"Their lives were cruel and unforgiving. They know only danger, trouble, drastic change, and each other," finished Brendan. "Would that be correct, Megg?"

"Not even I know that much about him," she shrugged disappointedly.

'Hmph. Ever think that that is how it is preferred?' someone huffed. 'Could you get off of me, Umbreon?' Umbreon seemed to suddenly remember he was on the Glaceon and hurriedly jumped off, allowing the Glaceon to stand back up. After shaking itself, it looked up to see a group of humans staring in disbelief with dropped jaws. 'I can close your mouths for you if you are unable to do so yourselves.' Getting the hint, they closed their mouths, but they didn't cease staring.

"Did that… Did the Glaceon just talk?" Rui asked, shakily. "It's not a legendary, is it?"

"No its not… but I… I think it did," Barry agreed. "Um… Hello, Glaceon. D-do you have a name?"

'What? Tch. Humans. Don't even remember me,' it said.

"… Wes?" Dawn asked. "Did you transform again?"

'Hm, at least someone understands.'

"What?!" Barry exclaimed. "The Glaceon is actually Wes?"

"It seems that way," agreed Brendan.

"Really?!" Rui squealed. "Oh, I'm glad you're okay!"

"Oh, you're sooooo cuuuute!" May admired with sparkling eyes. Wes cautiously took a small step back as his partners sweat dropped. She quickly darted forward, too fast for Wes in his current form to react, and scooped him up, glomping and squeezing him tightly to the point where he thought he was going to asphyxiate.

'Put… Me… Down… Now… Ach… he…lp….'

'I do not believe he can breathe,' Espeon stated. Of course, she was only understood by the other Pokémon, same as when Umbreon complained of the cold.

'I think so too. Should we help him?' Umbreon wondered.

'How can we?'

'… Good point.'

'Well, at the very least, she won't kill him… Hopefully.'

'True.'

'Feraligator, please,' Wes told him. Luckily, he understood what his master wanted and used Rain Dance in hopes of May either running for cover of to make it slippery enough for Wes to slip out of her grip. The rain didn't seem to faze her, so Wes used his abilities as a Glaceon to freeze the water on her arms just enough so he could slip away. Once he was free, Typhlosion countered the rain with a Sunny Day.

Noticing the missing body from her arms, May began to chase after Wes. But this time, Wes was expecting it and climbed a conveniently place boulder nearby. She attempted climbing after him, but failed miserably after slipping on Wes' left over ice a few times. She pouted, "No fair! Get back here! Waaaah!"

'No chance. However, we must be on our way,' Wes said. A light engulfed the small body, quickly growing to the shape of a human. The light disappeared to reveal Wes back in his human form, thankfully with his clothes still on, although the girls would have liked it had he not retained his clothing. He jumped off the other side of the boulder, landing gracefully and walking off almost immediately.

"Wait, you can change between human and Pokémon whenever you want?" Brendan questioned.

"I find no reason to hide it so, yes. There are cycles by which I am forcibly transformed into a certain Pokémon, but once I have become said Pokémon, I can then transform at any time to that or any other that I have previously become," he answered quickly in monotone.

"Can I ask when all this began?"

"Yes."

"…"

"…"

"… Are you going to answer me?"

"Hm, no, not yet, at least."

"O-K…"

"Big brother!" Megg exclaimed as she jumped onto his back. He slightly tilted his head toward her and gave a small smile. It looked genuine, but if one were to look close enough, they could see that it was full of sorrow. As to what the source of that sorrow is, only Wes would know.

"So, uh, where to next?" Dawn asked.

Wes began walking again, and without looking back answered, "… Back to Hell."

Bu bu bu buuuuuuummmm. We're going back to Hell~ How exciting is that? But where exactly is Hell? And how are they going to get there? Cookies to anyone who can guess where Wes is referring to. So anyway, let me know what you think of the story thus far. Please! I'm getting lonely here, wondering if I'm writing simply for my own amusement. The amusement is waning, might I add.

…

…

Um, yeah. I guess that's it for now, then…. Um, look forward to Part 2, I guess… But! You can only read it if I see some reviews. I want to know I'm writing for people who actually enjoy this story. Until I get at least 3 reviews, I'm not going to update. Of course, I'll be on vacation for the next couple weeks, anyway, so don't be expecting anything soon, okay? Ciao~


	15. Chapter 13: Back to Hell part 2

Hello again, everyone. It's been a while, but I'm back to post the next chapter. "Hell" will be revealed, but it seems as if many of you were able to figure what it was anyway, so no big surprise. I just checked out how long it was in my notebook, as I wrote it about 2 years ago, and it takes up nearly 9 full pages of my notebook. Of course, there was much editing and cutting done over that about a year ago, so I'm not sure how long it actually is anymore, nor how good it is, so I'm hoping you enjoy it. As well, I was so happy to see all the reviews, so I'm going to attempt to answer any questions I received, or at least give out my thanks. I apologize beforehand if I miss anyone or don't answer in the way you were hoping.

Crystale no otaku: So glad you are back! And the reviews were already covered, but thanks, anyway, I really appreciate you taking the time to review these for me. He sent them away so they didn't get caught up in any of the chaos they might encounter, or cause, which happened to be the idea of setting off explosives. He didn't transform back earlier since it slipped his mind as they were running from the explosions and he didn't care enough. And yes, I see Umbreon and a Pokémon that would have that bit of comedic relief to pull off that stunt, despite it being hazardous to his health, were he to actually piss off Wes. And no, Wes does NOT like being cooed at. He's still careful about what he lets slip, but he has to give them some answers, as they would never stop pestering if he didn't give some form of answer. You are one of my favorite readers, and you always make my day when I receive one of your reviews, so yes, I am regaining interest in this story. I will continue to update, at least until the end of this story. I'm having some issues with filling in areas in the sequel, so I'm not sure how well it's going to go, but we'll see. And I did enjoy my vacation; I'm leaving again on Sunday to go to Disney with my mom. We love Epcot and Teppen Edo. Unfortunately, my uncle who lives there will be joining us the first two nights. The days will be fine, but we won't get any sleep. He is the heaviest snorer. We're worried about the people in the nearby rooms being terrified of a monster living in the same hotel. Well, it will still be fun. I hope you get to make your trip to Japan, so I wish you good luck. Buen suerte!

09: … um. Did you send this just to count as a review? Or did you just not type the review… Um… Yeah.

Supermangas92: You are my other favorite reader, I love your reviews. Yes the previous chapter was short, but this one, I think, was rather long, which is why I had to slip the chapters in two. Your first guess was correct. I don't think they even go to Realgam Tower until the sequel, but I might be forgetting one of the chapters… And you have no idea what that means, you saying that mine is the one of the best Pokémon Colossuem fics. And I understand you perfectly fine; I'm used to much worse. You could even write your next review in your native tongue, although I probably won't understand most of it. I'm more used to Spanish or Italian; I'm not very good with any French.

Azure blue Espeon: That's fine. Nor am I, so thank you very much for reviewing. Don't worry; I'm going to finish this story. Well, unless I die an untimely death or I lose all my reviewers.

Well, that's everyone that I found that reviewed. Sorry if you reviewed and I didn't see it. Anyway, on to the story! My hands are already hurting, so I'll probably be dead by the time I actually post this, so enjoy!

… Thinking about it, I think this might be the chapter that someone dies… Or maybe that's the next chapter… Wait, no. I just checked and it's not. I was completely wrong. That doesn't happen for a while. It's the next time they go there, I think. That's when everything goes wrong and… You all are going to hate me so much when we reach that point. But not as much as you will when I finish the story. Well, anyway, try to ignore that… Eheheheh… So! Moving on to Part 2 of Back to Hell!

Chapter 13: Back to Hell Part 2

For a long time, the group continued walking, following Wes in silence. Two things were on everyone's minds: "What is this Hell?" and "What ability does Wes have that all the criminal organizations want?" They knew that Wes would never answer that unless absolutely necessary, so they refrained from asking him.

There wasn't much conversation with Wes at all, in fact. He very much liked his privacy and deemed it unnecessary for anyone else to know about his past. It occurred to them that all they did was follow Wes around, not asking him anything, or doing much either. But that seemed to be how he liked it. But there was one question they did refuse to let go. They were determined to know at least this one thing.

"Wes?" May finally spoke up.

"Hm?" was his only reply.

"Where and what is this Hell?" Brendan asked. Wes pulled out a folded piece of paper from his pocket and flung it back towards Brendan. Not expecting this, Brendan fumbled to catch it, but managed to not drop it. He stared at it for a moment before looking up and opening his mouth to ask what it was for, but Wes beat him to it.

"Open it. That'll be your map," he said, which then left the question, 'Does he have eyes in the back of his head or something?' Brendan looked back at the parchment and unfolded it. Unknown to the others, Wes had slightly regretted his decision and cringed slightly at the sound of the paper unfolding. On the paper was a handmade map of the Orre region. It was beautifully made and every detail was perfect. The only tampering to damage the perfection on the map was a path drawn between certain labeled locations: Agate to Pyrite to The Under to Phenac to Outskirt Stand to Mt. Battle to Cipher Lab to… a building far to the east that nobody recognized. Rui should have, but it didn't occur to her at the moment. Brendan did recognize the pattern, however.

"You've been recording our journey since Agate Village… And, this building here in the far east," Brendan pointed to it on the map, "this is our destination? The Hell you were referring to?"

Wes hesitated before nodding. "… Yes."

"There is no label and it's not on any other map I've seen of the Orre region," May observed.

"And the workmanship on this map, it is clearly handmade," Brendan half-asked, half-stated.

"Who drew it? It's absolutely amazing, the detail," Dawn complimented. Once again, Wes hesitated to answer.

"He who created the original," he whispered to himself. Straining, Megg barely caught his answer.

When nobody else heard him speak, Barry said, "Oooookkkaaayyyy… Sooooo… What is this place?" Wes sighed.

"Ask Rui. She'll remember eventually," Wes replied calmly, but just barely. _Annoying humans… I should just leave them._

'No Wes,' Espeon glared as she trotted up to him.

''No' what?' he asked.

'I know that face. And the situation is saying that you wish to get rid of them,' she said.

'…They are a hindrance.'

'Wes, please!' she begged. 'It might be good for everyone if you just let them stay! We already talked about this.'

'They are going to get themselves killed, especially Rui and blondie over there,' he argued. 'Besides, I need to get Megg back to Pyrite. I am unable to now, but I could send them to do so.'

'Absolutely not,' she chastised.

'…We will continue this tomorrow. It is getting dark and the h… they need to rest,' Wes avoided. 'Besides the others are here.'

'Fine. How far away are we?'

'… With the others?... Maybe an hour and a half.'

'You will run separately?'

'Yes and no,' he replied.

'What do you mean by that, Wes?' Umbreon joined in.

'Yes, I will go separately. No, I will not run.'

'Then how…?' Umbreon began. '… Oh, I see.'

'Yeah,' Wes confirmed. He stopped walking and looked towards the sinking sun and threw his bag on the ground before calling out his trio and Tyranitar. The humans looked at him questioningly and he returned the expression. "You are not letting out your partners?... I feel bad, kept locked away in that sphere for so long." They continued to just stare at him. He walked away. "I'll be back. You should set up camp."

"Camp? Are you sure we should? It's dangerous! Even you said so the other day!" Barry complained. Wes glared at him as if to say 'Do you see anything better?' Barry gulped. _I need to get on his good side. I have to learn how he makes those bombs before I leave._

"Oh, we'll be fine. Let's just let everyone out and set up camp, okay?" Dawn pushed.

"Wes is my gallant prince," Rui bragged. "Nothing will happen."

"Yeah, he'll protect us." May agreed. "Riiiight~?" But Wes had already gone. "Hmph. Fine! Okay, everyone come out!" She threw her poke balls and released her team, which included Blaziken, Mightyena, Walrein, Flygon, and Aggron. Dawn followed, releasing her Infernape, Garchomp, and Lucario. Then came Brendan: Swampert, Sceptile, Swellow, and Manetric. Barry followed suit as well releasing his Empolean, Rampardos, Kricketune, Bibarel, and Luxray. Rui, too, released her Plusle and Minun, given to her by Wes.

Once free, their partners helped to set up camp. Camp wasn't much, but it was sufficient. It consisted of bedrolls and a fire. Or they wish they had a fire as the temperature was quickly dropping. They had no wood as fuel. There were stones scattered around to form a pit circle for the fire, but they still had no firewood and the light of the sun was almost nonexistent now. They learned that a day in the desert was brutal, but as they were beginning to figure out that a night could be just as brutal, if not worse. It was freezing cold; they had no resources, no light, nothing. At best, it was miserable.

"I wonder what Wes is doing," May sighed, bored. "Anyone wanna battle?" Everyone groaned, ready to fall asleep after a long day of walking. Three large silhouettes approached the camp. "Who's there?" she asked. No answer came, so they all braced themselves for an attack, but none came. An even larger shadow in the sky swooped down and landed.

'Relax,' it comforted. 'It is only us.' They relaxed as they recognized the figures as Ho-oh and the legendary trio. 'Wes sent us up here to check on you. He'll be back soon. He's getting supplies.'

"Gathering… supplies? Here?" Rui asked. "But there is nothing here!"

'Wes knows the desert better than anyone,' Ho-oh argued. 'He practically grew up living on it!'

"Wow… So he knows where everything is?" Barry asked.

'If something can be found here, Wes can find it,' Ho-oh told them. 'He's probably found flint and fire wood by now… Actually, there he is now.' _I hope he doesn't push himself too much. He's already-_

'I'm fine, Ho-oh,' Wes assured.

'No, you are not! You are already-'

'I'll be fine,' Wes cut him off.

'If it gets worse, I will personally knock you out so can rest, even if you don't need to. It's the only way for you to rest. I won't let you do anything. I will pin you down immobile if you try to move until it's gone and better, and maybe even after that,' Ho-oh warned.

'… Fine, but until then, let me do what they cannot, unless you preferred that they died on the first night?'

'Whatever. Just be careful, okay?'

'I will. Do not worry,' Wes finished as he arrived at the camp. He threw down some firewood into the middle of the camp. He knelt down next to it and pulled out some flint and struck it a few times until it sparked and the wood caught fire.

"Wow! You're really good at this kind of thing, aren't you?" May complimented. "Are you some sort of survivalist or something?"

"Something like that…" Wes answered. Wes walked away and lay down on his back next to the legendaries. His hands and arms were used as a pillow as he stared up at the stars. He was just far enough away from the others that unless he was intent on listening, which he wasn't, he wouldn't hear their conversation.

"He's really soft inside, isn't he?" Dawn observed. "He's hard on the outside, but I think that that is only a protective cover. There is something that he doesn't want revealed."

"Mmhm…" May agreed. "I mean, he wants to ditch us so much because we're a nuisance to him, or so he tries to convince himself, but I think it's more that he doesn't want us to get hurt. I think the only reason he still allows us to be here is because of his partners' persuasions."

"He easily could've been at his destination, and on his way to the next one were it not for us, I believe," Brendan added. "And then there's Pokémon. He treats them like they are his kin, which I suppose they kinda are, but I mean to a more drastic extent. I am unsure, but I believe he speaks to them much more in an hour than with most humans in a week. He is probably doing so right at this very moment." Of this, he was actually correct. Wes was conversing with the Pokémon.

Everyone agreed, at least to a degree. Barry still thought he was cold, and Rui was completely ignorant to it all. She just continued with the gallant prince talk, which was what annoyed Wes the most. The only reasons he didn't yell at her were 1.) he had self-control 2.) she is his best (human) friend 3.) keeping her around helped with cover, by using her already exposed ability, he could hide his more easily. One by one, all the humans and their partners fell asleep around Wes' fire. Only Wes and his partners remained awake for the entire night, watching out for intruders. None came.

The next day found the group following Wes, again, staring at the map trying to identify the building and pestering and testing Rui's memory, to no avail. Had they not been so preoccupied by the map, they would have noticed how tense Wes was.

"Hey, the building is in Eclo Canyon," Brendan finally noticed. The map was perfect, other than a lack of labels on certain landmarks. Wes chuckled slightly, silently, and nodded. "I-I think I remember hearing something about it…"

"We are entering Eclo Canyon right now, actually," Wes said, finally relaxing a bit.

"Really? Wow, that was fast," Dawn wondered.

"Wait, does this mean we survived a day in the desert?" Barry asked. Wes sighed then nodded again.

"I-I think I remember now," Rui realized. "This-… This is! Why are we here, Wes? Why?"

"You finally remembered…" Wes muttered under his breath. "Once again. I cannot tell you, but I must do it in order, or else it won't be available… And no, I will not explain that."

"Rui, where are we going?" May asked.

"Wes' old job's headquarters," Rui said. Everyone gasped. "Snagem Hideout."

"Oh, that's right! I remember a special about a building in Orre's Eclo Canyon being the hideout of a criminal organization having exploded, believed to be caused by a traitor in the group. He destroyed all large versions of an unknown machine and stole the small one. Was the traitor… you Wes?"

"Of course," he admitted proudly. "I was the second longest member only to the leader of whom I was right hand man to. I was also their best snagger and eventually I discovered something I was preferred to not have by those who helped raise me when I was younger."

"Wait. Younger? Raise?" Dawn noticed, shocked. "How… old were you when you joined?"

"Hmph. I never joined. Gonzap simply picked me off the streets at an unknown age. He claimed he liked my attitude… and talents, to see potential in me… In other words, I was the first actual member. He started it with just the two of us."

"Wow, that's… cruel," May thought aloud. "Why did you wait so long to leave?"

"… For a few reasons." Wes was becoming more worried about lowering his body temperature at this point, afraid his reddening face might alert the others to something being wrong. The others may not have noticed this, but they did notice that for some reason, Wes was more lenient and allowing them to ask questions, which he tended to answer today, and they were taking advantage of it.

"So why did you say he picked you up off the streets?" Rui asked carefully and frightfully.

"Because that is exactly what he did. I had no parents, even back then, so I was living… almost off the streets. I preferred a forest, more on the western edge, I guess. I lived there with these two," he explained, indicating his two old friends. "They were but Eevees back then, however. We lived off of whatever we could find: berries, streams, plants… and strange concoctions I somehow learned to make. They somehow enjoyed it," Wes shrugged in wonder. "Not as bad as it could've been, I guess. One day as I was in a random city, a… certain event occurred leading to me… showing off some skills that Gonzap observed. Later on he followed me back to the forest and… took me in. Offered shelter, food, water, and job for me, as well as my partners. I almost turned him down, but… something happened so that I couldn't refuse."

"You've lived a rough life, haven't you? Harder than anyone else I know. And I know a lot of people with difficult lives," Brendan stated sadly.

"Hm. I guess so, but what's done is done. It can't be helped," Wes shrugged it off. _However, that is false. I can easily think of at least four ways to change the past._ But he wouldn't tell them that.

"Can you tell us why you had to come here?" Brendan questioned.

"I guess," Wes replied slowly.

"…"

"…"

"Well?" Barry asked.

"Well, what?" Wes feigned confusion.

"Aren't you going to tell us?" Rui wondered.

"No."

"But you just said you would!" Barry exclaimed, frustrated.

"No I didn't."

"Yes you did!"

"Actually, he didn't. Not really," Dawn said.

"I only asked if he _could_," Brendan pointed out. "Which he said he guessed he could. Doesn't mean he _will._"

"But he could still tell us!" Barry argued.

"I'd rather not. And I wish to keep it that way."

"You think that keeping us in the dark is for the best?!" Brendan cried. Wes nodded. "Is this for our own safety or for personal reasons?"

"Tch… Both… and more…" Wes answered annoyed.

"Wha-"

"Stop asking!" Wes turned to look at them and yelled. "If it were up to me, I wouldn't have brought you along. The only reason I'm allowing you to stay with me is because of them!" He pointed at the legendaries and his partners. "It'd be better if you all just left me alone, for everyone's sake!" His now heavy breathing did not go unnoticed by the others.

Everyone was gaping, wide-eyed at him in disbelief. They couldn't believe that he actually lost his cool. Deep down, Wes truly cared for those people, but he couldn't say so. It was because he cared so much that he was trying to get them to leave, and they knew this to a degree, which was yet another reason why they didn't leave. But what surprised them the most was the fact that his breathing was excessively deep and his face was a sickly red shade.

"Are… Are you o-okay, Wes?" May asked concerned. "You don't look too well."

Wes turned around again, took a deep breath, and began walking off again, eager to finish with that area and be gone. "You guys wait here. I'll be back soon."

They decided not to push him any farther and remained put, to Wes' relief. After about twenty minutes, they felt a slight quake in the ground, which scared them at first, but it died down quickly.

"Hey, Megg," Brendan claimed her attention. "Do you know anything about what Wes is doing or what's wrong with him?"

"No, not much. I only helped him by leading you guys a bit farther away when he asked. Other than that, all I know is that he asked. Other than that, I only know he's collecting pieces. Of what, I'm not sure. I think he keeps them in his pocket," she informed them. "I'm sorry, but he doesn't even tell me that kind of information."

"Thank you, anyway," he appreciated any information. The group remained silent until Wes returned ten minutes later, but he seemed really sluggish and looked worse and worse with every step he took. Everyone tried asking if he was okay and what was wrong, but he just kept trudging along.

Later on, not long after leaving Eclo Canyon, Wes lost all feeling and energy in his body. He fell onto his knees with one hand on the ground, the other he held his head with. His teeth were clenched, eyes tightly shut, and completely unaware of his partners and friends running over to him. He could faintly feel everyone's concern surrounding him, screaming his name, but all he knew was that it hurt and that he was vulnerable. He fell onto his side. _Heh. I guess Ho-oh was right. _He was smiling as he fell, but when he was no longer conscious, the pain tore it away again.

Well, I guess I finally finished this chapter. Whew, it took a long time. I hope you enjoyed it! I let loose a little info on Wes' past, so you better appreciate it! It won't happen again. Just kidding. There's actually going to be quite a lot going on from here on. But what happened to Wes, huh? You'll just have to wait and find out~ Make sure to send in a review if you wanna see the next chapter! Sorry if any of this chapter didn't make sense, so feel free to ask for clarification if you didn't understand any of it and I'll try to answer when I post the next chapter.

Next time on Hunting Wes: Chapter 14: Ill

So anyway, until next time! Ciao~


	16. Chapter 14: Ill

So, it's been a while, but all my trips for the summer are done, and I finished up with band camp, so I figured I'd type up the next chapter. Turns out that I have fever today, so this is the perfect time to do so. Now no one will bother me about doing something else, so I hope you enjoy this chapter. We have a long awaited encounter coming up in the second half of the chapter.

I guess I'll answer the reviews and comment on them. I only got three this time, but one of them was ridiculously long, so it was kinda like four in one or something.

Azure Blue Espeon- yes, I realized the awkwardness of their conversation, but at the time I wrote it, about 3 or so years ago, I didn't really care, and only felt like getting it out of the way. Sorry you didn't like it, I honestly didn't like it either.

Supermangas92- As usually, Wes does release a little bit of himself, but well… stuff. You'll find out. And that won't be the end of Barry either. There will be a scene later in the chapter that when I originally wrote it, it was to dis him and make fun of him, but on accident, I somehow carried that scene on to the point where I ended up liking Barry. This scene changed many of the main side points of this story from here on, so it is much different than intended. Um, stuff, I don't really know where I'm going with this anymore, but yes. Cliffhanger! Cliffhangers are how a writer creates suspense and makes his/her readers hate him/her. And it will not end with that, it will only get worse. Oh, it will get so much worse. There is one cliffhanger in about four chapters or so, I believe, that I may lose readers due to a certain cliffhanger. And to all those readers who will, I'm telling you now, please don't stop reading at that point. Just trust me on this, although it will seem to be the end, it is not! It is never the end! So just endure and prevail when you come across this hardship of a cliffhanger, and remember, you still have a while before it comes to light so enjoy now! Don't fret for the future. Just know that it will work out in the end.

Crystale no otaku- Disney is quite fun! There aren't a bunch of roller coasters or extreme rides like Cedar Point (which is extremely fun for any who like thrill rides and big roller coasters. Seriously, I love that place), but there are other fun interactive rides and stuff. And headphones didn't help with my uncle. I thought there was an earthquake or a bombing or something. Needless to say, I barely slept for the first two days. But I lived! And you have no idea how much it means that you rate my story so highly, and don't worry, it will finish. Eventually. And do wonder about that… Why is it that my 2 best are French? It's rather curious. I like that you can use common sense and reasoning, though. It's very refreshing from what I deal with here. So many people lack it. And the map… Heheh. You'll find out. Bombs are always fun, too. Yes, they are. May is actually quite perceptive! She's just really good at acting otherwise. Rui has always been this extraordinarily annoying, overly happy, stalker chick to me… Way too much happy. Anyway, I'll let you figure out the rest as the story goes on. Thanks again!

So, anyway, that was all the reviews. But seriously, if any of you get the chance, go to Cedar Point; it is ridiculous how fun the rides are. Millennium Force and Raptor are the two must do's over every other ride though. Anyway! Enough with that. On to the story.

Chapter 14: Ill

Brendan had just finished speaking with Megg, learning as much as he could when Wes had fallen to his knees and collapsed. Right before hitting the ground, Brendan thought he saw a smile on Wes' face, but he knew he had to have been mistaken. Wes'd never smile, especially when he was collapsing in the middle of the desert near Eclo Canyon. _What was going through his head, I wonder?_

Eventually, after everyone had calmed down, Wes was lying down beneath Ho-oh as the others kept their distance. It was requested by his partners and the legendaries. They had long ago set up camp since they were told it would be a while before Wes could move freely again.  
They were playing a card game when Wes finally woke up and opened his eyes. He tried to sit up, but Ho-oh trapped him, pinned him to the ground with his talons. Wes struggled a bit but quickly realized he hadn't the strength to fight back yet. He glared up at the legendary fire-bird, who glared right back.

The others watch the display and wondered why Wes was being pinned down, and why he didn't break free. Then they noticed that he was still sick and weak, and Ho-oh was just trying to protect him, even if it made extremely unhappy. Were it not for his cheeks being flustered before, they would've been red from anger.

'Damn it let me go!' Wes demanded as he tried once again to break free from his captor.

'We had a deal, if you recall,' Ho-oh countered. 'If you got any worse, I was permitted to hold you down until you were recovered.'

'Urgh! It'll be too late! You know the consequences if that happens! We have to go!'

'True. However, in the state you're in right now, you couldn't walk ten feet, much less across the entire Orre region!'

'I must and I will! I must leave!'

'You need to rest, Wes!'

'I have rested long enough! Now let me go!'

'… Prove to me that you can make it!' The rainbow bird challenged. He removed his talons and watched as Wes somersaulted backwards and rolled onto his feet. Unfortunately, he carried too much momentum and stumbled back a bit, trying to catch his balance. 'Hmph. Normally, you'd've done that perfectly.'

'I'm fine! I have just been off my feet for far too long,' Wes claimed as he began walking. His steps were slow and awkward. He didn't make it far before his legs gave out on his once again, forcing him to his knees. 'Urgh. I'll be fine,' he urged himself. He tried getting up again, but fell halfway up, having to use his hands to prevent him from falling onto his stomach. "… It seems, this a challenge not even I could accomplish…" Wes admitted defeat. His head fell low, allowing his hair to cover his face.

Ho-oh glowered in a bitter-sweet victory. 'Told you so. You are still weak from illness. I have heard from Espeon and Umbreon that only twice before have you been sick. This being the third. Both times, they were after tragic incidents and lasted far longer and were far worse than most illness ever to have been recorded in history. Yours seems to build up and release all at once when some tragic or traumatizing event occurs. Is this correct?'

"Sadly, that proves to be true. But it won't stop me from completing what I came to do, dammit!" Everyone flinched at his sudden outburst. There was fire and determination in his eyes, even though they all knew he couldn't possibly accomplish anything past standing up for a few seconds at best. His heavy breathing increased and he coughed harshly into left hand, trying to cover up the wet sound to it. Once his coughing fit ended, he slowly opened his eyes to look at his now lowered hand, only to clench his hand closed at the sight of it. He winced and allowed himself to fall back into a sitting position. Suicune came from behind him and lay down against him, supporting his weight. Wes looked at her questioningly and only for her to lick his face in return. He closed his eyes and smiled a bit, which shocked the group out of their trances. "Why don't you guys just relax and have some… fun? We will be staying here for the night, it seems. You can probably get some extra supplies by finding one of my… tunnels. I really need to come up with a name for them. There should be one not far from here embedded in the walls of the canyon. Three of you should go," Wes told them as he pointed. "It should be somewhere over there."

"What about you?" Rui asked.

"… I unfortunately, cannot even stand for more than a few seconds," he admitted, a hard blow to his pride.

'So he admits it!' Ho-oh claimed victory.

"Shut up, you stupid bird," Wes half-joked as he lightly tossed a stone and purposely missed by an inch. "Just go already… Be careful. This desert isn't void of quicksand. If you want, I have a map that can guide you around all the quicksand pits I've encountered. Does the traveling group wish to use it?"

"Yeah, it'll help us greatly," Brendan answered gratefully. Wes nodded at Umbreon, who in turn grabbed Wes' bag and brought it over to him.

'Thank you,' Wes appreciated. He opened a side pocket and pulled out a folded piece of worn and traveled parchment. He held it out to Brendan, who took it with a 'thanks.' "Don't lose it, got it? They take years to draw accurately," he warned. "… Some Snagem members might be roaming the vicinity…" Brendan appreciated the warning and nodded in return. He left, taking Dawn and Barry with him, leaving May and Rui behind. The four legendaries reluctantly left, saying they were required back at their respective territories and that they promised to be back soon. Wes had recalled his trio in order to spare them from the harsh environment and had Umbreon and Espeon guide the three who left, just in case. Wes was left alone with May and Rui, who had up until then, been sitting farther away talking about something Wes could only guess at, but he wasn't particularly interested in their conversation. He was fine sitting alone, off to the side.

Peace and quiet is only ever temporary, he realized. This proved true as he saw them stand only to make their way over to sit next to him. They stared at him, waiting for him to say something first. Normally, he'd have just ignored them, but he felt uncomfortable. He sighed. "Is there some reason for you staring at me?" he asked, annoyed.

Rui spoke first, "Do you like me, Wes?" This took him slightly by surprise.

"You are my friend, Rui, are you not?" he answered.

"Well, yeah, but I mean, do you, like, you know… _like_ like me?" Wes went wide-eyed. This was the question he meant to answer when they first met up again, before the foreigners came up and ruined his plan at a vacation in the first place. He just didn't know how to answer, but now he was forced to answer it, in the most awkward way he could think of, whether he was ready to or not. He decided to be truthful, but not come right out and say it.

"That is a bit more difficult to say, Rui. I could not, even if I wanted to, be in such a relationship. It would be wrong, immoral for me to do so. Forbidden, even," Wes chose his words as carefully as he could manage while still telling the truth. "It is not right for me to hold such feelings."

"Umm, I'm not sure I understand what you are saying," Rui said, confused.

"As I said, even if I were to desire a relationship of the like, with anyone, I am not allowed. It would disrupt the balance and the outcome, disastrous."

"So, is that a no?"

"… For the sake of all, it would have to be. Nature wouldn't have it any other way. I apologize."

"Oh… T-that's okay. We haven't known each other very long, anyway!" She was still hopeful that in time, he would one day love her back. _I will win you heart, my beautiful little gallant prince!_ Her aura was overpowered with lust. It was so potent that not even the dulled senses from his illness could shield Wes from it.

_Wonderful. Now I've got two crazy girls trying to get me to sleep with them. It's a good thing everyone else is gone right now. They'd never let me forget this._ Wes stood up and walked away a couple feet, struggling to remain standing. He coughed again, doubling over a bit as he hid his hand in disgust, ignoring the pain. He turned back to the two girls when May tried to get his attention, wincing at the pain he experienced from simply standing up.

"Can I ask why you followed the orders of Team Snagem?" May wondered.

"Is the idea of shelter, food, water, and occupation not enough?" Wes countered.

"I don't see you as the type to submit to just that. And as you said earlier, you almost denied the offered, were it not for a certain incident," she countered back.

"Heheheheh," Wes chuckled weakly. He once again had a coughing fit, hiding his hand discreetly immediately after. "Smart girl to remember that. Yes, I would've denied the offer, but I was kinda forced into it anyway. I did as I was told because unlike your calm and peaceful regions, Orre is hostile, cruel, and unforgiving. Here, if you belong to a group, you literally _belong_ to the group. They own you and do as they please with you. Authorities, as you know, are scarce, mainly consisting of Sherles, the idiot Johnson, and maybe a couple other fools who think they're being brave and doing the right thing. Bullshit like that. There really isn't anywhere to run to here. Nowhere to hide."

"Well, it's true I haven't seen many police, if any, but that doesn't mean that they can own you! That's illegal!" she argued.

"Not here, it's not. In fact, Gonzap- Ah!" Wes was cut off by a rope lassoed around his waist, yanking him off his feet, throwing him onto his back several feet backwards. The sudden loss of breath allowed a painful gasp to escape, spurting blood in the process. May and Rui yelled out his name as they watched in horror when he got yanked back once again, landing in, you guessed it, Gonzap's waiting arms. Wes looked akin to a rag doll by the way he was held loosely with neither breath nor strength. Gonzap brought a needle up to Wes' exposed neck and injected its contents. Wes eyes went wide as he recognized the substance as a sedative.

"And I still do, Wes, you little traitor," Gonzap announced just as the sedative took effect. Wes blacked out. "Good thing your little followers left you all alone with two powerless girls in the desert. Even better when you're fatally ill!"

"What?! Let him go!" May demanded.

"What do you mean, 'fatally ill?'" Rui asked.

"Ha! Why should I? I own him, and I came here just for him," he laughed as he caressed Wes' face gently. He had always been fond and proud of the boy, even if he would never admit it. He felt the boy had just overreacted by blowing up the base before leaving, but he was still a child and reckless. Gonzap could fix that with a little discipline. Many members protested bringing Wes back, however. Wes had always been Gonzap's favorite, which made all the other members jealous that a reckless child was his favorite out of all the loyal members, but he saw him as the best for all his jobs. All the others were liabilities sometimes. Wes took risks, was reckless, and many other things, but he never failed; always got the job done. He was a great asset and had many abilities that helped out the team. "As for being 'fatally ill,' I can't believe you never noticed. I'd tell you to ask him about medical history, but you'll never get a chance to." All the while, Gonzap was backing up slowly, carrying Wes under his arm. "Every time you have seen him cough today, have you ever wondered why he has hid his hand? No? Well, I guess he doesn't want you worrying about it. He's been coughing up blood! And lots of it." The girls gasped at that.

Brendan, Dawn, and Barry came running up behind the horrified girls. They observed the scene and at least two of them figured out what had happened. Barry, however, just charged in, fist raised in preparation to punch Wes' captor. He stopped dead in his tracks, however, when the large man pulled out a switchblade and held it to Wes' exposed neck. He didn't intend to actually harm Wes, but the others didn't know that.

"Move and I'll slit his neck wide open!" Gonzap warned as he slowly inched away, not turning his back to the group. He should've watched his back, though, as he never noticed the oversized dog that came in and tackled him, forcing him to release the limp body in his arms. Another grabbed the neck of his coat in its mouth and dragged him back across to the others who were now running over to meet them. "Gah! Get off, you damn mutt!"

Gonzap was about to strike the creature identified as Entei with his switchblade when Raikou stepped on his blade arm, immobilizing it long enough for Entei to get out of range before following suit to form a blockade, preventing the enraged Gonzap from making his way over to Wes. He would be forced to abandon the abduction for the time being. "I will be back for that traitor," he yelled as he retreated. _I will get you back, my son._

Now obviously Wes isn't Gonzap's biological son, but Gonzap acted as the fatherly figure in Wes' life and had claimed as such soon after their meeting. The group reached Suicune, who was lowering Wes onto the ground. Entei and Raikou, now content, trotted over as well. The others knelt down next to him, worried about both the fact that Wes was unconscious and held hostage, as well as the streak of red dripping from the corner of his mouth.

"Gonzap must've been right," May gasped.

"What did he say?" Dawn asked.

"He said that when Wes was coughing, and you know how often he's been doing that today," May began. "Well, he claimed that he was coughing up blood each time. The blood dripping there is proof." Everyone was shocked.

"What kind of sickness does he have?" Brendan wondered.

"Gonzap also told us to ask him about his medical history, although he then denied us ever seeing Wes again," Rui pointed out.

"Hey! Hey, Wes! Wake up!" Barry tried to shake him awake. Unfortunately, it worked.

Wes' eyes shot open, but they weren't his 'usual' golden hue, but were a disturbing, even more unnatural blood red color. His hand swiftly wrapped around Barry's throat as he stood up and lifted him off the ground.

"Wes!" the humans cried.

'Wes!' the legendary trio yelled.

'Wes! Snap out of it!' Espeon tried.

'Put him down. He's not a threat!' Umbreon coaxed. Wes' eye widened before closing. He dropped the now gasping Barry in order to grasp his head as he turned and walked away. He didn't make it very far before falling back onto his knees, breathing heavily as his cheeks flustered again.

"Don't… D-don't… do that… again," Wes warned, barely above a whisper. "I hold… l-little control… when forced awake… like that."

"O-okay. That advice is t-taken," Barry stuttered, still slightly terrified by Wes' actions.

"Are you okay?" Wes asked. Barry nodded. "Good. I'm sorry. I… probably should've told you about that. Heh." Wes coughed up blood, unable to hide it this time since it splattered all over the sand in front of him.

"Wes!" Rui screeched.

"Oh my Arceus," May and Dawn gasped.

"Are you okay?" Brendan asked.

"T-that's a lot of blood," Barry said faintly.

Espeon and Umbreon glared at him. "Shut up." Wes told his partners. They just smirked and Wes quickly looked away before wiping the blood off his mouth, to no avail as more just took its place. Umbreon grabbed Wes dropped bag and brought it back over. "Thank you." He rummaged through the bag and pulled out some herbs and supplies. He crushed and mixed herbs into a strange substance that was not quite liquid but not solid either.

"W-what is that stuff?" Barry asked.

"The sedative used… it was a deadly dose for a normal sedative, but that one… had poison added in… This is an antidote," Wes answered plainly. "Normally, that poison alone would have killed the average human already, which is why it worked so well on me. It is one of the _only_ sedatives that will fully affect me. Gonzap must have preferred to use something less lethal on me."

"H-he poisoned you?! How are you so calm?!" Barry exclaimed.

"Heh. Who knows? I've lived enough in 17 years to last at least three lifetimes. Not much scares me anymore and I've picked up many skills," Wes explained.

"Were you scared of being taken?" Dawn asked. Wes eyes flashed momentarily angrily.

"That… depends," Wes chose. "Who is intending to take me?"

"Um… Cipher," she tried.

"Then yes. What they plan to use me for scares me more than anything. Except maybe one other thing," Wes answered truthfully. "And if I'm still alive after that, they'll kill, torture, or… do other things, that I will not mention."

"Okay. How about Hoenn, Sinnoh, Johto, and Kanto region organizations?" May asked.

"They would do something similar, but not as cruel. Nowhere close… Nowhere close…" Wes trailed off.

"And Snagem?" Brendan tried.

"I am… unsure. They might be the safest, or they might be the worst."

"I think we understand how worst, but how would it be safest?" Brendan asked.

"…Hm, that is a bit difficult," Wes bit his thumb nail before coughing up more blood, leaving another puddle of red in the sand. The others either looked away or gasped at the sight. "Gonzap was… he, in a way… took on the role of… my father."

"What?" Barry asked shocked.

"Your father?" Rui gasped.

"But he tried to kill you! Or at least threatened to," Brendan said, beginning to realize.

"Heheh. Not… quite. I wasn't really conscious, but I was still aware. I felt how he held me. How he touched me. (A/N: I realized after reading this for the first time since I wrote it three years ago, that yes, it is very suggestive, and that I should probably change it, but I'm a bit lazy, so just try to ignore that. Sorry!) Heard the hidden things he said, his whispers. I felt his familiar aura, most of all," Wes listed. "He… still cares for me… even after all I've done. He was too gentle, too kind. He would've…" He shook his head.

"He would've… what?" Brendan pushed. Wes sighed.

"Nothing," he said. He stood up as he finally forced the substance down his throat. "Nngh." Wes grabbed his throat and gagged a bit. His vision began to turn hazy. "I'm going to pass out again. Just follow… them. They'll take us to the next… destination."

"Oh, wait! I just reme-" May began, but Wes had already toppled over onto his side, unconscious. Suicune rolled him over onto her back and carried him. "Aaand, he's gone… So, where to?" The trio began walking away, out of Eclo Canyon, to the west.

"Hey, what's this?" Brendan picked up a piece of paper that fell from Wes' hand. It was another map that had their entire trip thus far marked in it, including up to the next destination. He observed it before sighing. "We've got a long way to go. We're trekking across half the Orre region, it seems."

Well, that's the end of this chapter, guys. Hope you liked it. You got some answers and a little backstory (sort of). Um, yeah, and stuff. So! Anyway, please review. I wish I could say more, but my mind is drawing a blank. I'm kinda tired. Well, anyway, until next time! Ciao~


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